Current Readings on Outcomes After Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) gained popularity in the 1990s through early 2000s as surgeons sought to mitigate the purported adverse effects of cardiopulmonary bypass and reduce the risk of neurologic events from aortic manipulation. Since then, results of several large randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses have failed to demonstrate an advantage of off-pump CABG over traditional on-pump CABG and have even raised concerns about potential suboptimal outcomes. The modern debate about off- vs on-pump CABG centers around long-term outcomes, the role of surgeon experience, identification of specific patient populations for which off-pump CABG is most appropriate, and identification of novel techniques and technologies to improve long-term outcomes. We review the key findings of 5 contemporary papers that address these issues and provide a current perspective on the status of off-pump CABG.