Background: Off-pump coronary surgery is an established method of less invasive cardiac surgery. We compared our early results in patents with I-vessel disease who underwent surgery with full sternotomy with off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) or a left anterior minithoracotomy with minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCAB) without cardiopulmonary bypass.
Methods: From July 2003 to June 2006, 54 patients with single-vessel disease of the left anterior descending artery who underwent surgery performed by the same surgical team were included in this prospective study. Of these patients, 27 underwent MIDCAB through an anterolateral minithoracotomy, and 27 had OPCAB through a full sternotomy. Patients were selected for the surgical groups on the basis of general condition, anatomical aspects, type of coronary lesions, comorbidities, and patient preferences. Demographic, operative, and postoperative data were collected prospectively.
Results: Demographic data, Canadian Cardiovascular Society Classification, and comorbidities were identical for both groups. There were no cases of operative mortality, early graft insufficiency, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, or conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass in either group. Durations of mechanical ventilation and total hospital stay were shorter in the MIDCAB group, 6.8+/-3.0 hours vs 8.3+/-1.6 hours and 4.5+/-0.7 days vs 5.2+/-1.4 days (P= .03 and P= .03), respectively. Atrial fibrillation was seen in 2 patients in each group; all were returned to sinus rhythm by medical therapy.
Conclusion: Although MIDCAB grafting is a challenging technique, it may be safely performed on selected patients with low postoperative mortality and morbidity.