Coronary artery bypass on the beating heart with the Octopus: a North American experience

Abstract

Background: The practice of minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting remains controversial. This study outlines the results of single and multiple vessel bypass performed using the Medtronic Octopus Tissue Stabilization System and beating heart techniques. Results are compared with those of a standard cardiopulmonary bypass group.

Methods: The group included 89 patients having operations performed during a 10-month period with average follow-up of 162.3 days. Complications, length of stay, and functional status were recorded. Postoperative stress testing and angiograms were performed selectively.

Results: The average age was 62.3 years and the average ejection fraction was 0.65. Twenty-five percent of the patients underwent operations urgently or emergently, averaging 1.8 grafts/patient. In 83 of 89 patients operations were completed without cardiopulmonary bypass using the Octopus without mortality. Morbidities were statistically similar to a group of 369 cardiopulmonary bypass patients. Postoperative length of stay was shorter in the Octopus group (p = 0.005).

Conclusions: The Octopus provided predictable, reproducible immobilization with short-term results comparable with those obtained with standard cardiopulmonary bypass.