Off-Pump Coronary Artery Surgery with the Use of Anastomotic Devices: An Additional Tool for the Challenging Patient

(#2001-6759 ... June 27, 2001)

Francesco Maisano, MD, Vincenzo Franzé, MD, Michele De Bonis, MD, Ottavio Alfieri, MD

Cardiac Surgery Division, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy

ABSTRACT

Background: Avoidance of aortic side-clamping may decrease the risk of embolization to the brain and other organs during coronary revascularization. Herein we describe our preliminary experience with an anastomotic device for proximal anastomosis construction.

Methods: From October 2000 to June 2001, 18 selected patients undergoing beating heart surgery had an aorta-to-saphenous vein graft anastomosis performed with the St. Jude Medical Aortic connector.

Results: All anastomoses were successfully deployed. In two patients there was a minor anastomotic bleeding and in other two cases a kinking occurred due to a too short and a too long graft respectively. One patient, with graft occlusion on the fourteenth postoperative day, underwent successful percutaneous revascularization.

Conclusions: Our preliminary results indicate that the aortic anastomotic device is safe and effective and its use could be widened once long-term results are available.

AUTHOR/ARTICLE INFORMATION

Presented at the Fourth Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, June 27-30, 2001, Munich, Germany.

Reprinted from The Heart Surgery Forum, Volume 5, Supplement 1, 2001.

Address correspondence and reprint to: Francesco Maisano, Cardiochirurgia, Ospedale San Raffaele, Via Olgettina 60, 20132 Milano, Italy, Email: francesco.maisano@hsr.it