Clampless off-pump surgery reduces stroke in patients with left main disease

Surgical revascularization is the most appropriate therapy for patients with significant left main coronary-artery disease (LMD). An incidence of perioperative stroke remains an issue when compared to the early outcomes to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study evaluates the safety and impact of standardized "clampless" OPCAB techniques, composed of either complete in situ grafting or "clampless" device enabled techniques for stroke reduction in patients undergoing surgical revascularization for LMD.

Between 1999 and 2009, 1031 patients with LMD underwent myocardial-revascularization at our institution. Of these, 507 patients underwent "clampless" OPCAB and 524 patients underwent conventional on-pump CABG (ONCABG). Data-collection was performed prospectively and a propensity-adjusted regression-analysis was applied to balance patient characteristics. LMD was defined as a stenosis >50% and endpoints were mortality, stroke, a cardiac-composite (including death, stroke and myocardial-infarction); a non-cardiac composite and complete-revascularization.

In OPCAB patients, the cardiac composite (3.0% vs. 7.8%; propensity-adjusted (PA)OR=0.27; CI95% 0.12-0.65; p=0.003) as well as the occurrence of stroke (0.4% vs. 2.9%; PAOR=0.04; CI95% 0.003-0.48; p=0.012) were significantly lower while the mortality-rate was well comparable between groups (1.8% vs. 2.5%; PAOR=0.44; CI95% 0.11-1.71; p=0.24). The non-cardiac composite was also significantly decreased after OPCAB (8.9% vs. 19.7%; PAOR=0.55; CI95% 0.34-0.89; p=0.014) and complete revascularization was achieved for similar proportions in both groups (95.1% vs. 93.7%; p=0.35).

This study shows the superiority of OPCAB for patients with LMD with regards to risk-adjusted outcomes other than mortality. A "clampless OPCAB strategy", effectively reduces stroke yielding similar early outcomes as PCI.