Reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting without cardiopulmonary bypass

Conventional reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is associated with increased surgical risk. The use of less invasive methods to perform myocardial revascularization may, therefore, be more suitable, especially for high-risk patients. In June 1999, we performed three reoperative CABG surgeries, without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, through unilateral or bilateral thoracotomy. One patient had single-vessel disease and the other two had multiple-vessel disease. All three patients had uneventful postoperative recovery. During early postoperative follow-up, all three patients were angina-free and were in New York Heart Association functional class I. The results of these three cases suggest that minimally invasive reoperative CABG may reduce morbidity compared with conventional reoperative CABG.