Background: Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCAB) was developed to decrease perioperative morbidity, some of which may be related to the use of cardiopulmonary bypass and to cross-clamping of the aorta. We report our initial experience with multivessel MIDCAB via distal mini-sternotomy (DIMS). DIMS is performed to gain access to the left and right internal thoracic arteries and to reach the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), diagonal branches, and right coronary artery (RCA).
Methods: Between January 2016 and January 2017, 12 patients with significant coronary artery disease of the LAD and the RCA underwent multivessel, all-arterial MIDCAB through a distal midline skin incision from the fourth intercostal space to the xyphoid process, with L‑ or T‑shaped division of the sternum. The mean age of the patients was 61.5 ± 5.2 years (range: 52-71 years).
Results: We performed all-arterial revascularization using the left internal mammary artery in 12 patients, the radial artery in ten, and the right internal mammary artery in two patients. The mean number of grafts per patient was 2.08 ± 0.4 (range: 2-3). The mean length of the skin incision was 8.5 ± 1.3 cm (range: 7-11 cm). There was no perioperative ischemia, postoperative bleeding, or arrhythmia events. No postoperative cognitive dysfunction occurred. The mean hospital stay was 5.6 days. No major adverse cardiac events (MACE) occurred at the 12-month follow-up. At follow-up, all patients were in New York Heart Association class I and there were no wound complications.
Conclusion: Although MIDCAB-DIMS is technically more demanding than conventional procedures and our experience is limited, we conclude that this technique can be used safely in selected patients, with promising 12-month follow-up results.
Keywords: Coronary artery bypass grafting; Coronary artery stenosis; Follow-up; Minimal surgical procedure; Myocardial revascularization.