Article Summary

Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass is Associated with a Lower Incidence of Stroke

by The DiagnosisHeart.com Physician Team
Posted: February 10, 2003

Summary:
Leipzig, Germany - A report from 16,184 consecutive patients who had cardiac surgery at the Heart Center, University of Leipzig, has shown that "off-pump" coronary artery bypass grafting is associated with a lower incidence of stroke than coronary artery bypass grafting done with the heart-lung machine. The study authors further conclude that "off-pump" coronary artery bypass grafting "may therefore, improve [patient] outcomes."

The study, reported in the February issue of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery is one of the largest analyses of consecutive adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery in a single institution.

Although stroke rates of patients undergoing combined coronary artery bypass grafting and valvular heart surgery is reported in this study, the significant points are the findings for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures performed "off-pump" or "on-pump" using the heart-lung machine.

8,917 patients underwent "on-pump" coronary artery bypass grafting and 1,842 patients underwent "off-pump" coronary artery bypass grafting from 1996 to 2002.

"Off-pump" coronary artery bypass grafting was associated with a lower incidence of stroke using multivariate analysis. The overall stroke rate reported for coronary artery bypass grafting "on-pump" was 3.8%. The stroke rate for "off-pump" coronary artery bypass grafting was 1.9%.

The authors concluded that given the statistically significant findings of lower stroke rates following coronary artery bypass grafting procedures done "off-pump" that the "lower incidence of stroke may improve patient outcomes."

Reference:
Stroke After Cardiac Surgery: A Risk Factor Analysis of 16,184 Consecutive Adult Patients, Annals of Thoracic Surgery 75: 472-478

Date of Article Publication:
2003, February

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