Beating heart surgery, also known as off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB), is performed without using the heart-lung machine. Instead, specialized devices are used to position the heart and stabilize the area where the surgeon is working. This allows the heart to continue beating during the surgical procedure. MAQUET’s off-pump product line enables a completely clampless approach to the CABG procedure. By eliminating use of an aortic cross clamp and a partial occlusion clamp, the risk of neurological consequences due to the release of microemboli is reduced.
Clampless Beating Heart products from MAQUET help surgeons provide optimal outcomes for high-risk CABG patients1. In November 2005, the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS) published the Beating Heart Consensus Statement that cited beating heart surgery offers distinct benefits over conventional bypass surgery, especially among high-risk patient populations.
1 Puskas J, Cheng D, Knight J, et al. Off-pump versus conventional coronary artery bypass grafting: a meta-analysis and consensus statement from the 2004 ISMICS Consensus Conference. Innovations. 2005;1:3-27.
The benefits of clampless beating heart surgery also include a quicker recovery time, decreased length of hospital stay, and less trauma that results from use of the cardiopulmonary bypass machine. These benefits are especially important for higher risk individuals who have medical conditions such as diabetes, a history of stroke, or poor physical health.