title: Seven-year follow-up after minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass: experience with more than 1300 patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) for revascularization of the left anterior descending artery has become a routine operation. Here we present the experience after more than 1300 MIDCAB procedures with up to 7 years of follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients undergoing standard MIDCAB between 1996 and 2004 were included. Long-term follow-up information about health status, major cardiac and cerebral adverse events, and freedom of angina was collected annually by a questionnaire or personal contact. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data could be completed for all 1347 patients. Five-year follow-up was available for 450 patients and 7-year follow-up for 194 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age was 63.2 years (range, 25 to 92 years) and mean ejection fraction was 0.61 +/- 0.14. In 23 patients (1.7%), intraoperative conversion to sternotomy or CPB, or both, was necessary. Early postoperative mortality was 0.8% (n = 11), and 0.4% (n = 5) had a perioperative stroke. A routine postoperative angiogram in 709 patients showed 95.6% early graft patency. Short-term target vessel reintervention was needed 55 patients (4.1%): 10 had percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty/stent and 45 had reoperation. A repeat angiogram at the 6-month follow-up was available in 350 patients and demonstrated 94.3% graft patency. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a 5-year survival of 91.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 90.1% to 93.8%) and a 7-year survival of 89.4% (95% CI, 86.7% to 92.1%). The freedom of major adverse events and angina was 89.5% (95% CI, 87.4% to 91.5%) after 5 years and 83.3% (95% CI, 79.0% to 87.5%) after 7 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MIDCAB can be safely performed with low postoperative mortality and morbidity. The excellent short-term and long-term survival as well as freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebral events and angina compare favorably with stenting and conventional surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Heart Center Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. dholzhey@web.de
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Holzhey
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mochalski
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Walther
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thiele
authors.forename: Friedrich W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: Volkmar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Falk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000401:mortality; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D015607:Stents