Reoperative off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: current outcomes, concerns and controversies

Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2010 May;8(5):685-94. doi: 10.1586/erc.10.14.

Abstract

Increasing numbers of patients have undergone coronary artery bypass grafting in the last four decades. As a result, the incidence of reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting is rising. Reoperative procedures pose several technical difficulties and are associated with increased operative risks, which exceed those of the initial revascularization. As the incidence of reoperative procedures is increasing so is the experience of reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting, with the resultant evolution of several alternative strategies to lower the operative risks. These strategies include alternative techniques for re-entry, strict avoidance of graft manipulation to minimize the risk of graft atheroembolism, and modification of the method of myocardial protection, depending on the status of the native coronary circulation and the patency of venous or arterial grafts. Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting is one such technique that, through the avoidance of inherent risks of cardiopulmonary bypass, has the potential to reduce the morbidity associated with reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting. This article evaluates the current outcomes of reoperative off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, and highlights the concerns and controversies associated with this strategy.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cardiopulmonary Bypass
  • Coronary Artery Bypass, Off-Pump* / adverse effects
  • Coronary Artery Bypass, Off-Pump* / methods
  • Coronary Artery Bypass, Off-Pump* / mortality
  • Coronary Artery Disease / physiopathology
  • Coronary Artery Disease / surgery*
  • Embolism, Cholesterol / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • Reoperation
  • Treatment Outcome