Early clinical experience with a new sutureless anastomotic device for proximal anastomosis of the saphenous vein to the aorta

Background: Avoiding aortic side clamping in useful to avoid local particul ate embolization, X device that allows a saphenous vein el aft to be anasto mosed to the aorta without aortic manipulation is clinically evaluated, Methods anti results: From July 1999 to March 2000, 17 patients who underwe nt myocardial revascularization had an aorta-saphenous vein graft anastomos is performed by means of an aortic anastomotic devise, Eight were operated on with cardiopulmonary bypass and 9 without, The proximal anastomoses crea ted by the aortic anastomotic device were performed before the institution of cardiopulmonary bypass or before the related distal anastomosis was perf ormed, In ii patients transcranial Doppler ultrasound was used, In 1 (6%) p atient the saphenous vein graft was not deployed, and in 2 (12%) a single s uture was added for minor bleeding, None of the 11 patients evaluated with transcranial Doppler ultrasound had evidence of particulate embolization du ring the procedure, No patient died or was reoperated on for bleeding, Sis (35%) patients had a postoperative angiogram 48 +/- 26 days after the opera tion that showed widely patent proximal anastomoses. Conclusions: Use of an aortic anastomotic device allows a sutureless anasto mosis to be created between the aorta and saphenous vein gl aft. The device could be used in totally endoscopic myocardial revascularization. A second -generation device is ready to solve the problems encountered and to increa se the ease in handling the device.