Objectives: The most important determinant for the success of minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCAB) is the quality and long-term patency of the graft and anastomosis. Intra and postoperative quality assessment is important to confirm the safety and effectiveness of minimally invasive techniques.
Methods: From January to December 1998 MIDCAB was performed in 246 patients using a limited minithoracotomy for single left anterior descending artery (LAD) revascularization. According to our standard protocol quality assessment of the graft and anastomosis consisted of intraoperative flow measurement, early postoperative angiography and follow-up angiography after 6 months.
Results: Intraoperative flow measurement was performed in patients with anastomoses unsuitable for coronary probing (75/246, mean flow of 34.3 +/- 17.7 ml/min). Early patency was confirmed by intraoperative monoplane angiogram in 37/246 (15.0%) patients and by postoperative multiplan angiography in 205/246 (83.3%). Early patency rate was 98.0%. Six months follow-up showed a patency rate of 97.5% (one occluded graft, two severe and two moderate stenoses at the anastomotic site). Eighty-nine percent of the patients were in a CCS angina class I, 11% in class II, respectively. Six months mortality was 0.8%. Re-intervention had to be performed in 5/116 (4.3%).
Conclusions: A standardized protocol for quality assessment is mandatory for MIDCAB surgery. The proposed algorithm serves to ensure the safety and effectiveness of this new technique. Our recent series document an excellent outcome of the MIDCAB approach. Postoperative multiplan angiography is the only technique to achieve valid information about the quality of graft and anastomosis.