OPCAB- Is It the “Best Technique” for Coronary Revascularization?

Volume 4, Oct 2015

Dheeraj Arora, DNB, PDCC, Yatin Mehta, MD, MNAMS, FRCA, FAMS, FIACTA Naresh Trehan, MD, Gurgaon, India

 Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the commonest cardiovascular disorders. There are many modalities for the management of CAD like percutaneous catheter intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Conventionally CABG is performed with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). However, there are various problems associated with CPB like neuropsychiatric dysfunction, acute renal failure, coagulation and platelet dysfunction, systemic inflammatory response and post pump syndrome along with longer convalescence. Off pump CABG (OPCAB) is performed on beating heart without the use of CPB with the help of specially designed epicardial wall stabilizers. Advantages of OPCAB over conventional CABG (CCAB) have been shown in high risk patients with significant comorbidities. This article reviews the benefits of OPCAB over CCAB in terms of morbidity, mortality and quality of life. (J Clin Prev Cardiol. 2015;4(4):89-97)