title: Robot-assisted minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting. ThoraCAB.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of robot-assisted minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCAB), which is also termed "ThoraCAB".
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 2005 to 2013, 35 consecutive patients underwent MIDCAB via a small thoracotomy on a beating heart. Before performing MIDCAB, the internal thoracic arteries (ITAs) were endoscopically harvested through 3 ports using the da Vinci Surgical System in a completely skeletonized fashion. Distal anastomosis was hand-sewn using a vacuum stabilizer, and a coronary artery active perfusion system was used to prevent myocardial ischemia during anastomosis. Successful robot-assisted ITA harvesting was achieved in all patients. There was an average of 1.7±0.8 grafts (range, 1-3 grafts) per patient. No patient needed mechanical ventilation for more than 24h. There were no deaths, strokes or myocardial infarctions, and none of the patients required conversion to median sternotomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Robot-assisted ITA harvesting is safe and feasible. ThoraCAB is a relatively simple procedure and allows multivessel bypass grafting after a small thoracotomy. Therefore, it is expected that ThoraCAB will become the standard procedure for minimally invasive coronary revascularization and will be used in totally endoscopic CABG in the future.
authors: Department of General and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Kanazawa University.
authors: Norihiko
authors: N
authors: Ishikawa
authors: Go
authors: G
authors: Watanabe
authors: Shigeyuki
authors: S
authors: Tomita
authors: Shojiro
authors: S
authors: Yamaguchi
authors: Yuji
authors: Y
authors: Nishida
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Iino
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods