title: Off-pump surgery and alternatives to standard operation in redo coronary surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been associated with higher mortality and morbidity than first-time CABG. Off-pump surgery has been introduced in an effort to reduce morbidity associated with traditional on-pump CABG. However, these techniques present unique challenges in the reoperative setting. A review of our experience was undertaken to determine safety, efficacy, and technical challenges in beating heart reoperative CABG.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 1999 through April 2003 reoperative CABG procedures performed by a single surgeon were treated on an "intention to treat" basis without cardiopulmonary bypass. A standardized operative technique employing suction stabilization and exposure devices were used for sternotomy procedures with stabilization devices employed for limited access single-vessel revascularization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-six of eighty-seven (99%) consecutive patients undergoing reoperative CABG had the procedure initiated off-pump. There were 24 of 62 females/males (28%/72%) with a mean age of 64.3 (34 to 92). Eighty-one of eighty-six (94.2%) procedures were successfully completed off-pump. Five (5.8%) conversions were due to hemodynamic instability, inability to dissect dense adhesions (2), inability to locate an intramyocardial LAD (1). The procedures were performed via a median sternotomy in 67 patients (78%) and by limited anterior or lateral thoracotomy in 19 patients (22%). The operative mortality was 2 of 86, predicted risk 6.7%. There was no mortality in the converted patients. Postoperative length of stay was 5.5 days. There were no strokes or perioperative myocardial infarctions. Complications included reoperation for bleeding in 2.2%. Sixty-one of sixty-six (92.4%) patients were able to be extubated in the operating room. The rate of transfusion was 23 in 86 patients (26.5%), and atrial fibrillation was 5 in 86 patients (5.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Off-pump CABG can technically be performed safely in most patients presenting for reoperative CABG. Outcomes appear to be improved compared with published outcomes of reoperative on-pump CABG surgery.
authors.affiliation: Cardiopulmonary Research Science and Technology Institute, Dallas, Texas 75230, USA. smullins@csant.com
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mack
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D047549:Coronary Artery Bypass, Off-Pump; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012086:Reoperation / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome