title: Primary OPCAB as a strategy for acute coronary syndrome and acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Conventional coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) carries higher mortality and morbidity for patients undergoing surgery during acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate potential benefits of avoiding CPB by instead performing off-pump CAB (OPCAB) during surgery on patients in ACS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among 624 patients who underwent OPCAB between January 1999 and June 2001, 143 underwent surgery during ACS (group 1). The ACS patients in group 1 were divided into 2 subgroups: 66 underwent surgery during acute myocardial infarction (AMI group) and 77 during unstable angina classified as class III or IV according to the Braumwald classification (unstable coronary artery disease [CAD] group). Group 2 (the elective CAD group) consisted of 481 patients who underwent isolated elective OPCAB during the same time period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall 30-day mortality was 4.9% (n = 7) for the ACS group and 0.83% (n = 4) for the elective CAD group (P < .0001). Differences between groups were found in use of inotropes, intraaortic balloon pump, and subsequent conversion of OPCAB to CPB (P < .0001, P < .01, and P < .03, respectively), as well as use of blood transfusion (P < .0003). Multivariate logistic regression analysis for 641 patients revealed ACS (P < .015), AMI (P < .019), renal failure (P < .017), and left ventricle aneurysm (P < .028) as independent risk factors for 30-day mortality in ACS reoperation (P = .02), whereas in AMI renal failure (P = .02) appeared to be an independent risk factor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OPCAB is a valuable treatment strategy in ACS patients; however, it carries significant mortality and morbidity. Careful preselection and timing of intervention are required in order for patients to fully benefit from the OPCAB strategy.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, Silesian Medical Academy, Katowice, Poland. Marekjas@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Marek J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Jasinski
authors.forename: Stanislaw
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wos
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Olszowka
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bachowski
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ceglarek
authors.forename: Kazimierz
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Widenka
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gemel
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Domaradzki
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deja
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szafranek
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Golba
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Szurlej
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013577:Syndrome