Total coronary artery revascularization through a mini-sternotomy

Revascularization of all significantly stenosed vessels remains the goal of coronary artery bypass surgery. Recent improvements in endoscopic instruments have resulted in the evolution of selective left anterior descending artery bypass grafting through a limited anterior small thoracotomy (LAST) incision. A major limitation of this technique is the inaccessibility for complete surgical revascularization in multivessel disease. In this article, we describe a minimally invasive technique for total coronary artery revascularization that combines conventional surgical techniques with the advantages of minimally invasive surgery. We have performed total coronary revascularization in 52 patients over a period of 16 months with consistently good results.