Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting revisited: experience and evidence from Japan

Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) is performed in about 65% of patients who require surgical coronary revascularization, and has become the standard procedure in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in Japan. As a background of the high rate of OPCAB, many clinical and experimental studies have been performed and reported in Japan. In this review, several factors associated with OPCAB are discussed based on relevant and important clinical studies published in Japan in the English language.