Combined coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is commonly associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Eleven patients underwent the combined operation of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) on the beating heart and AAA repair: 10 underwent off pump CABG and 1 patient required centrifugal pump and pulmonary assist with closed circuit because of unstable hemodynamics. All cases were discharged without severe complications and with patent coronary bypass grafts.     

Coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart: surgical revascularization for the next decade?

This review considers whether coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) performed on the beating heart (off-pump or OPCAB) will supersede conventional CABG utilizing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and cardioplegic arrest as the accepted gold standard. Randomized controlled trials, case-matched reports and observational studies have demonstrated lower morbidity in off-pump compared to conventional on-pump CABG with equivalent mid-term outcome at a significantly lower cost. Patients referred for surgical revascularization are increasingly elderly with more co-morbid medical conditions and elimination of CPB-related morbidity in these groups is associated with the most pronounced improvements in outcome, at least in observational studies. Long-term outcome, and in particular, long-term graft patency following OPCAB has not yet been reported. A barrier to the more widespread acceptance of OPCAB is the poor provision for training in off-pump techniques although structured cardiothoracic training that includes OPCAB surgery has been shown to be both possible and safe for patients. The evidence available to date therefore strongly supports the assertion that OPCAB may become the new gold standard in surgical revascularization. Whether it will ultimately replace conventional CABG, however, is dependent on the results of long-term patency studies and the wider development of adequate training programmes.     

Coronary disease in patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm]

The presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) evaluated with coronary angiography and eventual correction of CAD in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients has been considered the main determinant of early and late outcome after AAA repair. This study reports our experience in CAD and AAA patients in terms of diagnosis and therapy of CAD. In a population of 126 patients (122 males, 4 females, mean age 67.5 years, range 37-81) who were candidates to elective repair for AAA with a diameter > or = 5 centimeters, we included coronary arteriography in 1) patients who were symptomatic for angina (15.9%); 2) patients with previous myocardial infarction (33.3%); 3) patients with previous coronary artery bypass (4%). We identified a group of 45 patients (35.7%) with significant CAD who had been treated before AAA surgery by coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in 37 cases or percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 8 cases. AAA repair was performed during the same hospital stay or at a later date. We did not report any morbidity and mortality related to cardiac or vascular procedures. We believe that among patients reporting cardiac symptoms (previous myocardial infarction, angina) the incidence of surgically-correctable CAD is not negligible (45/67, 67.2%). Therefore, invasive coronary study is strongly suggested in such cases to reveal and treat an eventual coronary artery stenosis prior to AAA repair. The absence of cardiac morbidity and mortality related to cardiac and vascular procedures supports this approach.     

One-stage coronary bypass and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

A group of 29 patients with simultaneous coronary disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm were treated two protocols: Group I, 16 patients had coronary bypass surgery and then abdominal aortic aneurysm repair at a later date. This required two hospitalizations and two separate surgeries. Group II, 11 patients, underwent coronary bypass surgery and repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in one sitting. Group III, 2 patients, had PTCA prior to AAA repair. There were 3.1 bypass grafts implanted (Group I), vs 2.9 (Groups II) (ns). All abdominal aneurysms were infrarenal and 22 patients had straight tube graft replacement (76%), and seven bifurcated grafts. Two patients with angina also had symptomatic AAA. Period of hospitalization, morbidity, mortality, time of total recovery, hospital costs, and apprehension of patients were analyzed. There was one death in Group I. In this group, the total recovery time was 4.8 months vs 2.4 months for Group II. Hospitalization time was 16.2 days in Group I vs 8.2 days in Group II. The hospital costs were significantly higher in Group I with an average of $58,950 vs $46,553 in Group II. No deaths occurred in Group II. It is recommended that if a patient with severe coronary disease requiring surgery also presents with an AAA of more than 5 cm, he/she should have both conditions operated on in one session rather than staggering the procedures. It saves time, cost, anxiety, and is well tolerated.Presented at the 38th Annual World Congress, International College of Angiology, Köln, Germany, June 1996.     

Totally endoscopic sequential arterial coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart

A 50-year-old man was referred to the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the Johann Wolfgang-Goethe University (Frankfurt, Germany) with angina on exertion. An evaluation revealed critical stenosis involving the proximal portion of the left anterior descending artery and the first diagonal branch. The patient underwent successful sequential grafting of the left internal mammary artery to the left anterior descending artery and the diagonal branch using a totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting technique on the beating heart with a new version of the da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, USA). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report in literature to describe sequential arterial off-pump grafting of two anterior wall target vessels using a totally endoscopic technique on the beating heart.     

Influence of the first assistant on abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery

The hypothesis that the type of first assistant who attends the surgeon influences the course and outcome of graft replacement for abdominal aortic aneurysm was tested. Surgical results were analyzed in 179 consecutive patients (149 men and 30 women; mean age, 69 +/- 7.5 years). All the operations were performed by the author-an experienced surgeon with a practice limited to general vascular surgery. The choice of first assistant was based solely on availability; 110 (61%) patients had a board-certified surgeon as the first assistant and 69 (39%) had an experienced registered nurse as the first assistant. Patients with intact aneurysms undergoing elective surgery were in Group 1, and patients with intact aneurysms undergoing urgent surgery were in Group 2. Group 3 patients included those who had ruptured aneurysms but were hemodynamically stable, and Group 4 patients had ruptured aneurysms and were in shock. The distribution of patients was similar in each first-assistant group, as was the use of straight and bifurcated graft reconstructions, associated visceral procedures, and other adjunctive procedures. The hospital mortality was 4% (6/149) for Group 1 patients, 12% (2/17) for Group 2,20% (1/5) for Group 3, and 50% (4/8) for Group 4 patients. The morbidity and mortality rates were independent of the type of assistant, as were the operative time, blood loss, and adjusted blood transfusion volume. These results suggest that the choice of either an MD-surgeon or an experienced RN as first assistant does not influence the course or outcome of abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery.     

Combined coronary artery bypass grafting and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

The purpose of this paper was to assess the results and feasibility of simultaneous coronary artery bypass grafting and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Twenty nine patients with a mean age of 65 years underwent simultaneous coronary artery bypass grafting and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair between June 1990 and March 2002. All patients had significant coronary artery disease and were considered as indicated for coronary artery bypass grafting. This was performed first in 28 patients and simultaneously with abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in one, with a mean number of grafts of 2.5, a mean aortic cross-clamp time of 40 minutes, and a mean bypass time of 115 minutes. Eight straight and 21 bifurcated grafts were employed. The total operating time averaged 400 minutes. The median postoperative hospital stay was 18 days. One patient died of stroke and mediastinitis, for a mortality rate of 3.5%. This experience suggests that combined coronary artery bypass grafting and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair is both safe and effective.     

Ten-year results following elective surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

OBJECTIVE: 10-year results after elective operation for infrarenal aortic aneurysm considering the influence of risk factors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Retrospective study with 5-12 year postoperative follow-up. SETTING: University hospital (Klinikum Grosshadern, Munich). PATIENTS: The long-term follow-up was based on 521 (95.6%) out of 545 consecutive patients operated upon electively for abdominal aortic aneurysm between 1978 and 1987. INTERVENTIONS: The infrarenal aneurysms were excluded by aortic tube grafts (314 patients, 59%) or bifurcation grafts (231 patients, 41%). MEASURES: The birthday, operation day and eventually the day of death in the hospital were documented in the charts. The patient's state or cause of death were elicited on the phone 5 to 12 years after the operation. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were calculated based on these data and compared to age-matched normal male populations. RESULTS: Hospital mortality was 6.4%. The cumulative rate of survival following elective surgery was 65% at 5 years and 41% at 10 years, the mean survival time being 95.1 months. Age, coronary artery disease and hypertension had a significant influence on the cumulative survival. Patients with aorto-coronary bypass had a better long-term outcome than those without bypass surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The excellent long-term results within a high-risk population support elective surgery of infrarenal aortic aneurysms. Results of new interventional techniques will have to be compared with this "golden standard" follow-up.     

Off-pump beating heart coronary artery bypass. Technical points of view and surgical results

A consecutive series of 746 patients undergoing heart beating myocardial revascularization was reviewed. An average of 2.30 grafts/patients was performed. The rate of mortality in the first 30 postoperative days was 0.28%. Two cases had to be terminated on-pump. We used the inotropic drugs in 0.6% of cases. The postoperative events were: atrial fibrillation (12.6%), myocardial infarction (0.3%). The rate of transfusion was 7.4%. The extubation was performed in the first 24 h postoperatively in 94.7% of cases. The majority of patients (91.3%) left the hospital in the first 8 d postoperatively. Off pump coronary artery bypass grafting gives good result for the most of the patients even for those with multiple vessel disease and high operating risk.     

On site surgical treatment of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm

In Japan, surgical treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is generally performed in hospitals with specialized vascular surgeons, thus necessitating transportation of patients. Transportation of patients with ruptured AAA sometimes results in irreversible hypotension and death. In our hospital, a program of on site surgery for patients with ruptured AAA was initiated, in which vascular surgeons went to the hospitals where ruptured AAA patients were initially admitted instead of transporting the patients. Twenty-nine patients with ruptured AAA were included in this study. Prior to October 1995, 22 of these patients were transported to our hospital (transport group). After October 1995, seven patients received on site surgery performed by our team (on site group). The mean age of patients in the transport and on site group was 68 ± 10 and 70 ± 11 years old, respectively. In the transport group, graft replacement was performed in 16 patients, aorto-femoral bypass in one, axillo-femoral bypass in one, and laparotomy only in four in whom aortic reconstruction was impossible due to cardiac arrest. The time between the patient diagnosis and operation in the on site group was 64 ± 21 min, which was shorter than the time of 127 ± 23 min in the transport group. In the on site group, graft replacement was performed in all seven patients. Operative and hospital mortality of the transport and on site group were 13/22 (59%) and 1/7 (14%), respectively. In the on site group, only one patient died of preoperative small intestinal perforation and septic shock. The incidence of postoperative morbidity was significantly higher in the transport group than in the on site group, which accounted for the large differences in mortality. In conclusion, we have received good operative results of on site surgery for ruptured AAA in this initial study. However, this study is not randomized and the number of patients is small. Thus, further studies with larger number of patients are needed to determine if on site surgery is the treatment of choice for patients with ruptured AAA.     

体外循环心脏停跳和不停跳心内直视手术对机体免疫功能的影响

目的观察体外循环心脏停跳和不停跳心内直视手术对机体免疫功能的影响。方法60例风湿性二尖瓣膜病变患者,随机分为实验组（不停跳组,40例）和对照组（停跳组,20例）,分别于10个时点抽取静脉血,测定T细胞亚群、NK细胞以及IgA、IgG、IgM。结果两组CD3＋、CD4＋、NK细胞以及IgA、IgG、IgM在转机后下降,CD8＋上升,两组比较P≤0.05,实验组CD3＋、CD4＋、CD8＋、NK细胞以及IgA、IgG、IgM恢复较对照组快（P均〈0.05）。结论体外循环不停跳心内直视手术对机体免疫功能影响较心脏停跳者轻。     

Early and long-term results after surgical treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm

From 1959 to July 1981, 121 patients underwent surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm. One hundred-nine patients were male and 12 female. Ninety-one patients had an elective operation, 30 patients were operated on an emergency basis. Among the electively treated there were 32 asymptomatic patients. Early mortality of electively operated patients was 13.2% in period I (1959 to 1974), and 8.8% in period II (1975 to 1981). The early death rate of asymptomatic patients decreased from 9.4% to 4.8%. The prognosis of emergency patients remained unchanged: 50% died in both periods. Cardiac complications were the major cause of early death. The late complication rate related to the aneurysmectomy was 18.1%. Four patients died of rupture of the proximal anastomosis. Aneurysm-related reoperations were necessary in 19.1% of the patients. The mortality rate for patients under 65 years was 6.1% in period II, and 16.7% in patients over 70 years. Another severe risk factor is coronary artery disease (16.0% mortality in period II), especially in combination with advanced age (21.4% mortality in period II). The results indicate that the abdominal aortic aneurysm should be treated electively; however, poor risk patients should not undergo surgery if the aneurysm is asymptomatic. In younger patients with coronary artery disease, coronary artery bypass surgery should be considered prior to aneurysmectomy.     

Successful surgical repair of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in a nonagenarian.

Mortality due to the surgical treatment of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (RAAA) is high, more than 40%, especially in elderly patients. The literature concerning RAAA in very elderly patients is analyzed by Internet research (Medline). Only rare examples of emergency surgical management in nonagenarian patients are reported, and even fewer reports of successfully operated patients. A case report of a successful surgical repair of RAAA in a nonagenarian is presented. After ultrasound (US) and CT scans, the patient (in good condition as regards blood pressure, respiratory, cardiac and renal function) underwent uneventful aneurysmectomy and reconstruction of the aorta and common iliac arteries by means of a bifurcated prosthesis. The length of hospitalization was 30 days and the patient is still alive and in good condition four years and two months after the operation. The advisability of emergency surgical repair in these patients, questionable because of the excessive surgical risk and poor survival benefit, is discussed. However many other factors affect the outcome of emergency repair (mainly cardiac, respiratory and renal function), independently of age. The authors conclude that age per se does not limit the indication for or success of surgery in very elderly patients.     

Combined coronary artery and abdominal aortic surgery without cardiopulmonary bypass

To determine the effects of beating heart surgery on patients undergoing simultaneous coronary artery bypass grafting and abdominal aortic surgery, we performed such surgery on 20 patients (mean age, 64.55+/-796 SD years). Abdominal aortic disease was defined as an abdominal aortic aneurysm larger than 5 cm in diameter or as end-stage aortic occlusive disease. Hemodynamic measurements, inotropic requirements, and incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction and arrhythmias were recorded, as were subsystem clinical outcomes, length of intensive care unit and hospital stays, blood loss, and transfusion requirements. There was no incidence of death, perioperative myocardial infarction, stroke, or acute renal failure. The mean number of grafts per patient was 1.95+/-0.69. Only 4 minor postoperative complications were observed: three patients (15%) had evidence of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias, and 1 patient (5%) had chest infection that required a longer-than-average intubation period. Six patients (30%) required minimal-to-moderate inotropic support. The mean blood loss was 673+/-246.8 mL and transfusion requirements were low. The mean intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay were 2. 12+/-0.33 days and 708+/-1.44 days, respectively. Clinical follow-up (mean, 10 months) showed all patients to be in New York Heart Association functional class I or II with no late cardiac or abdominal events. We conclude that simultaneous coronary artery bypass grafting and abdominal aortic surgery on the beating heart is safe and effective, and has a low perioperative clinical morbidity rate. To our knowledge, ours is the 1st report on this procedure. Larger studies with longer follow-up are needed.