Off-Pump CABG Surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, commonly known as CABG, is a type of heart surgery. Surgeons perform this type of surgery to bypass blockages in the coronary arteries. An “off-pump CABG” is a CABG performed without the use of a heart-lung machine (cardiopulmonary bypass). This means the heart continues to provide blood to the rest of the body during the surgery. It is sometimes referred to as “beating heart surgery.” In another method used during surgery, a machine takes over the functions of the heart and the lungs and the heart is still.
The goal of off-pump bypass surgery is to minimize coronary artery bypass surgery morbidity such as stroke, renal failure and need for blood transfusion. The possibility that the off-pump approach may reduce the risk of what are called cognitive changes seen in many patients with cardiopulmonary bypass CABG is also of great interest.
