Do cardiac stabilizers really stabilize? Experimental quantitative analysis of mechanical stabilization.
In order to assess the three-dimensional movement of the coronary arteries both during normal cardiac activity and after mechanical stabilization, a polypropylene black marker was placed in 10 pigs on the middle portion of the three main coronary branches. Marker motion was recorded for 10 s using two TV-digital cameras and was estimated with a precision of 50 microm. After stabilization with three different mechanical stabilizers (Medtronic, Genzyme, CTS-Guidant), a remnant coronary artery excursion of about 1.5-2.4 mm was found. There is a significant residual coronary artery motion after mechanical stabilization, which could affect the quality of anastomosis, especially in unfavourable situations.
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157, Milan, Italy. m.lemma@hsacco.it
Massimo
M
Lemma
Andrea
A
Mangini
Alberto
A
Redaelli
Fabio
F
Acocella