ANESTHESIA AND MINIMALLY INVASIVE THORACOSCOPICALLY ASSISTED CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASS - A BRIEF CLINICAL REPORT

Objective: To examine the anesthesia implications of minimally invasiv e thoracoscopically assisted coronary artery bypass (MITACAB) surgery, Design: A combined retrospective and prospective observational report of patients undergoing MITACAB surgery, Setting: A community heart ce nter. Participants: Patients having MITACAB surgery, Interventions: No ne specifically related to the report, Main Results: The MITACAB appro ach was found to be successful in completing left internal mammary art ery (LIMA) to left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) bypass in 17 of 20 patients. No patient required emergency institution of cardi opulmonary bypass or defibrillation during the procedure. However, 6 o f the 17 patients who underwent the MITACAB surgery required transveno us pacing at the time of surgery, None of 17 patients who underwent MI TACAB surgery has required additional cardiovascular intervention sinc e the time of surgery, Stroke volume and pulmonary arterial pressures were generally unaffected during performance of the bypass graft, Conc lusion: MITACAB requires special anesthetic interventions; however, MI TACAB appears to be a safe, effective approach to LIMA-to-LAD bypass. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saunders Company.