OBJECTIVE: Patients with isolated lesions in the proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD) have been demonstrated to benefit more from surgical treatment than percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, with the less invasiveness of PCI, the majority of the patients have been referred for this latter procedure. We report herein on the inferior ministernotomy approach for the treatment of patients with single LAD lesions, with off-pump anastomosis of the left internal thoracic artery graft. METHOD: Fourteen patients, consecutively operated on using this technique with the LITA graft anastomosed to the LAD, were examined. The mean age of the patients was 56.7 ± 10.1 years. The length of the skin incision varied from 7 to 9 cm and only the distal sternum was split longitudinally. The anastomosis was facilitated with the use of an Octopus-3 stabilizer (Medtronic). RESULTS: All patients had satisfactory postoperative outcomes, the length of postoperative hospital stay ranged from 2 to 6 days (median 3 days). No ECG changes or enzymatic rises were seen in this series. One patient was re-admitted for wound infection. CONCLUSION: The ministernotomy approach allows safe accomplishment of off-pump LAD grafting, providing the long-term benefits of using the LITA.
Surgical procedures; Myocardial revascularization; Mammary arteries; Sternum
