Off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery: analysis of 5-year experience

We retrospectively evaluated the perioperative results of off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery performed in our center. Over a 5-year period, 520 patients were operated off-pump through a median sternotomy with the aid of a cardiac stabilizer and retractor. A total of 1,117 distal anastomoses were made with a mean of 2.2 +/- 1.0 bypass grafts per patient. Only 12 patients (2.3%) required conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass, while 10 patients (1.9%) were re-operated for bleeding or graft failure. Perioperative myocardial infarction occurred in 10 patients (1.9%), and postoperative stroke in 3 patients (0.6%). The overall operative mortality was 2.5%, while the rate for the 48 patients who had previous bypass surgery was 2.1%. The results show that off-pump coronary surgery produces low mortality and morbidity, even in the treatment of multivessel disease or high-risk patients.