Background. Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting has bec
ome an increasingly accepted therapy far selected patients with single
-vessel corollary artery disease. Reported morbidity has focused on an
astomotic problems, but the occurrence oi: serious wound complications
after these procedures has not been well documented. Methods. We revi
ewed our institutional experience with 35 patients to look for the inc
idence of serious wound complications. Results. Three patients had ser
ious wound problems after minithoracotomy for coronary artery bypass g
raft procedures. This represents an overall 9% wound morbidity rate an
d a 100% rate in the obese women. Conclusions. Wound complications at
the incision site after minithoracotomy coronary artery bypass graft p
rocedures seem to occur distinctly in obese women with redundant breas
ts. (Ann Thorac Surg 1998;66:92-4) (C) 1998 by The Society of Thoracic
Surgeons.