Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting using in situ bilateral skeletonized internal thoracic arteries

Objective All arterial off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) with in situ bilateral skeletonized internal thoracic arteries (ITAs) may become a standard procedure that would provide better long-term results without affecting early results. Methods Our study included 404 consecutive patients who underwent OPCAB with one or two ITAs. We compared the clinical results of 135 patients who underwent OPCAB using unilateral ITA (UITA group) to those of 269 patients using bilateral ITAs (BITA group). Results The average number of distal anastomoses was 3.07 in the UITA group and 3.47 in the BITA group (P < 0.01). Four operative mortalities occurred in the UITA group and two in the BITA group. There were no significant differences in morbidity between the two groups. Conclusion OPCAB using bilateral skeletonized ITAs is technically feasible, with good early results. Arterial OPCAB using in situ bilateral skeletonized ITAs may become a standard procedure in the future.