[Minimally invasive arterial coronary bypass grafting: on beating heart and via smaller access]

Postoperative recovery after (arterial) coronary bypass grafting mostly takes several months because of the effects of the heart-lung machine and the cardioplegia which are mostly haematological, pneumological and neurological in nature. The morbidity can be reduced by operating on the beating heart and via smaller access. One possibility is the 'Octopus' method developed in Utrecht, which involves local fixation of the beating heart. The postoperative recovery of the first 45 patients was favourable.