Objective To investigate the impact of edaravone on serum reactive oxygen species during the perioperative period of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting （OPCAB）. Methods A total of 40 patients who underwent selective OPCAB in the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University between June 2011 and November 2012 were prospectively enrolled in this study. All the patients were randomly divided into a trial group and a control group by a random digitaltable method with 20 patients in each group. There were 13 males and 7 females in the trial group with their age of 40-67（51.8±11.5） years， and 9 males and 11 females in the control group with their age of 42-70 （53.5±13.1） years. Afteranesthesia induction， patients in the trial group received continuous intravenous infusion of edaravone 60 mg （diluted in 100 ml saline）， while patients in the control group received continuous intravenous infusion of saline 100 ml， both of whichwere finished within 30 minutes. Venous blood samples were taken 24 hours preoperatively （T1）， 1 hour after skin incision（T2）， at the end of the surgery （T3） and 24 hours postoperatively （T4） to examine the concentration of superoxide dismutase（SOD） and malondialdehyde （MDA）. The data of the two groups were compared. Results All the patients successfully underwent their surgery and were included in the analysis. At the T2， T3 and T4 time point， SOD concentration was 80.3±21.3 U/ml， 78.5±17.4 U/ml and 81.4±17.5 U/ml， and MDA concentration was 10.2±1.8 nmol/ml， 11.3±1.9 nmol/ml，14.8±2.1 nmol/ml respectively in the control group；SOD concentration was 92.8±18.4 U/ml，90.0±18.1 U/ml，and 88.7±18.7 U/ml，and MDA concentration was 7.2±1.7 nmol/ml，8.2±1.2 nmol/ml，10.2±1.3 nmol/ml respectively in the trial group. At each above time point， SOD activity was significantly higher in the trial group than the control group （F=2.90，P=0.003；F=2.80，P=0.003；F=2.80，P=0.001）， and MDA concentration was significantly lower in the trial group than the control group （F=2.79，P=0.001；F=2.80，P=0.001；F=2.90，P=0.000）. Conclusion Edaravone can decrease serum reactive oxygen species caused by OPCAB and reduce myocardial injury.
Abstract： Objective To analyze clinical outcomes of intra-aortic balloon pump （IABP） application for high-risk patients before undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting （OPCAB）， and summarize our experience and weaning indications of IABP. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 102 high-risk patients with coronary artery disease who underwent IABP implantation before OPCAB from January 2008 to July 2011 in Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University. There were 71 male patients and 31 female patients with their average age of 63.0±8.2 years in this IABP group. We also chose another 100 patients without IABP implantation before undergoing OPCAB as the control group， including 55 male patients and 45 female patients with their average age of 64.1±9.5 years. Postoperative systolic arterial blood pressure （SABP）， mean arterial blood pressure （MABP）， mechanical ventilation time， length of intensive care unit（ICU） stay， morbidity， duration of IABP treatment and in-hospital mortality of two groups were compared. Left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） was evaluated with echocardiography 3 months after surgery. Results Postoperative SABP （95.3±12.2 mm Hg vs. 80.1±11.7 mm Hg；t=8.440， P=0.000） and MABP （78.9±13.5 mm Hg vs. 52.3±15.1 mm Hg； t=12.410， P=0.000） of the IABP group were significantly higher than those of the control group. Mechanical ventilation time， length of ICU stay and duration of inotropic support of the IABP group were significantly shorter than those of the control group. The incidence of ventricular arrhythmia， low cardiac output syndrome， perioperative myocardial infarction and dialysis-requiring acute kidney failure of the IABP group were significantly lower than those of the control group. In-hospital mortality of the IABP group was significantly lower than that of the control group ［5.9% （6/102） vs. 17.0% （17/100）， χ 2 =6.180， P=0.020］. Ninety-six patients in the IABP group and 83 patients in the control group were followed up for 3 months. Three months after surgery， echocardiography showed that LVEF of the IABP group was significantly higher than that of the control group（45.3%±12.0% vs. 39.1%±8.2%， t=3.950， P=0.000）. Conclusion Preoperative prophylactic IABP implantation and optimal timing of weaning from IABP support can not only significantly reduce surgical risk and improve surgical outcomes and postoperative recovery of high-risk patients undergoing OPCAB， but also considerably ameliorate patient heart function and reduce perioperative morbidity and mortality.
Abstract： Objective To summarize our surgical experience of tetralogy of Fallot（TOF） with anomalous coronary artery（ACA）， explore diagnostic method of ACA， and evaluate surgical strategy choices and clinical outcomes of right ventricular outflow tract（RVOT） reconstruction. Methods From January 2004 to January 2010， 29 patients with TOF and ACA underwent total correction in Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital. There were 18 male patients and 11 female patients with their median age of 7 years （5 months to 33 years）and median body weight of 18 （5 to 51） kg at operation. Their preoperative arterial oxygen saturation was 65%-91%. One patient underwent RVOT enlargement and repair of ventricular septal defect via right atrial approach. Three patients underwent RVOT enlargement， repair of ventricular septal defect and main pulmonary artery enlargement using autologous pericardium patch via right atrial approach. Three patients received pulmonary artery translocation （REV） technique. Five patients received double outlet technique. Eleven patients underwent RVOT enlargement via incisions above， below or beside coronary arteries （single patch or two patch technique）. Six patients underwent RVOT reconstruction using trans-annular patch after coronary artery bypass grafting. Results The median cardiopulmonary bypass time was 78 （65-102） min， median aortic crossclamp time was 50（40-82） min， and median operation time was 150 （126-178） min. There was no early death or severe coronary artery injury. Two patients underwent reexploration because of postoperative bleeding. Two patients had low cardiac output and were both cured with inotropic support. The median follow-up period was 51 （21-83）months and there was no late death during follow-up. All the patients were in New York Heart Association （NYHA） classⅠduring follow-up， their left ventricular ejection fraction was normal， there was no sign of myocardial ischemia in electrocardiogram， and their arterial oxygen saturation was 96%-99%.Mean early RVOT gradient （△P） was 19 （8-38） mm Hg， and the RVOT gradient （△P） did not increase during follow-up. Conclusion Preoperative diagnosis of ACA in TOF patients can be made by 64-slice multislice compute tomography （64-MSCT）. Proper surgical strategy for RVOT reconstruction should be chosen according to the distribution of coronary arteries to achieve satisfactory surgical outcomes.
Objective To evaluate the efficacy of preoperative low-dose oral amiodarone for the prevention of atrial fibrillation （AF） after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting （OPCAB） in patients older than 70 years. Methods A total of 156 patients older than 70 years who underwent OPCAB in Qingdao Fuwai Cardiovascular Disease Hospital from January 2011 to June 2012 were included in this prospective，double-blind and placebo controlled study. Preoperatively，all the 156 patients were randomly divided into amiodarone group and control group. In the amiodarone group，there were 80 patients including 38 male and 42 female patients who were given oral amiodarone （trade name： Cordarone） 200 mg，three times a day，3-5 days before surgery，and amiodarone was stopped on the OPCAB day and postoperatively. Preoperative duration of amiodarone intake was 4.0±1.2 days，and total amiodarone dosage was 2.6±0.5 g. In the control group，there were 76 patients including 35 male and 41 female patients who were given oral placebo as the same medication schedule，and preoperative duration of placebo intake was 4.0±1.4 days. Operation time，graft number，postoperative AF incidence，AF duration，hospital stay and readmission rate for cardiovascular events within 6 postoperative months were compared between the two groups. Results There was no in-hospital death in either group. There was no statistical difference in graft number，operation time，AF duration of patients who had postoperative AF，or postoperative hospital stay between the two groups. Postoperative AF incidence of the amiodarone group was significantly lower than that of the control group ［18.7% （15/80） vs. 34.2% （26/76），P=0.028］. Seventy-three patients in the amiodarone group （91.3%） and 66 patients in the control group （86.8%） were followed up for 8-24 months. During follow-up，2 patients in the amiodarone group died of acute myocardial infarction and cerebral hemorrhage respectively. There was no statistical difference in readmission rate for cardiovascular events within 6 postoperative months between the 2 groups ［6.8% （5/73） vs. 6.1% （4/66），P=0.860］ .Conclusion Preoperative low-dose oral amiodarone can significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative AF in patients older than 70 years undergoing OPCAB.
Objective To investigate the use of intraoperative transit time flow measurement （TTFM） to accuratelyevaluate graft patency during sequential coronary artery bypass grafting （CABG）. Methods Clinical data of 131 patientsundergoing sequential off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting （OPCAB） with the great saphenous vein （with or without internal mammary artery） as graft vessels in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from April 2012 to January 2013 were retrospectivelyanalyzed. There were 92 male and 39 female patients with their age of 61.35±8.24 years. During the operation，2 methods were used to measure mean blood flow volume，pulsatility index （PI） and diastolic filling （DF） of the graft vessels. For thenon-blocking method，blood flow in graft vessels was maintained，and TTFM was applied 2 cm proximal to the anastomoticsite in graft vessels to record above parameters. For the blocking method，blood flow in graft vessels was temporally blockedby clipping distal graft vessels with an atraumatic bulldog clamp，and TTFM was applied 2 cm proximal to the anastomotic site in graft vessels to record above parameters. Results Blood flow volumes of the diagonal branch （27.43±15.22 ml/minvs. 59.28±30.13 ml/min），obtuse marginal branch （26.14±19.74 ml/min vs. 47.19±24.27 ml/min） and posterior left ventr-icular branch （19.16±8.92 ml/min vs. 38.83±20.11 ml/min） measured by the blocking method were significantly smallerthan those measured by the non-blocking method （P＜0.05） . PI values of the diagonal branch （2.93±1.30 vs. 2.31±0.91），obtuse marginal branch （2.62±1.17 vs. 2.01±0.87） and posterior left ventricular branch （2.33±0.92 vs. 1.80±0.73） meas-ured by the blocking method were significantly higher than those measured by the non-blocking method （P＜0.05）. There was no statistical difference in DF values measured by 2 methods at respective anastomotic sites，and all DF values were higher than 50%. Non-blocking method identified 1 anastomotic site and blocking method identified 3 anastomotic sites that were not patent，and these anastomotic sites became patent after graft reconstruction. Conclusion Blood flow velocity of sequential grafts is higher than that of single grafts，indicating that sequential grafts have the advantages of high blood flow volume and low risk of thrombosis. Blocking method can more accurately evaluate graft patency at the anastomotic sites and sensitively identify graft vessels that are not patent，which is helpful for anastomotic site reconstruction in time and enhancement of successful rate of CABG.
Abstract： Objective To evaluate the effect of a surgical method for treating mild- to moderate-ischemic mitral regurgitation（IMR） using a self-designed device during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting（OPCAB）. Methods From September 2009 to August 2011, six patients（4 males, 2 females； age was 52-73 years） with mild- to moderate-IMR underwent OPCAB and concomitant mitral valvuloplasty using a self-designed device in Beijing An Zhen Hospital. Their degree of IMR, anteroposterior diameter of mitral annulus, left ventricular long-axis diameter, left ventricular short-axis diameter and left ventricular spherical index（left ventricular short-axis diameter/left ventricular long -axis diameter）were measured using transesophageal Doppler echocardiography before and after mitral valvuloplasty. Their mean aorta pressure, mean pulmonary artery pressure and central venous pressure were also measured via Swan-Ganz catheter before and after mitral valvuloplasty. Perioperative cardiac function indexes were compared. Results There was no in-hospital death. IMR of all patients disappeared postoperatively. After mitral valvuloplasty their anteroposterior diameter of mitral annulus（3.43±0.08 cm vs.3.68±0.08 cm；t=5.430, P=0.001）, left ventricular short-axis diameter（4.80±0.21 cm vs.5.53±0.11 cm；t=7.530, P=0.001）and left ventricular spherical index（0.64±0.02 vs.0.74±0.01；t=11.110, P=0.002）significantly decreased than those before mitral valvuloplasty . But their left ventricular long-axis diameter and hemodynamic indexes did not change significantly after mitral valvuloplasty. All the six patients were followed up at the out-patient department 3 months postoperatively without autonomous symptoms. Their heart function improved to I class（New York Heart Association）. Echocardiography showed 4 patients without IMR and 2 patients with trace of minimalIMR. Conclusion Off-pump surgical therapy for mild- to moderate- IMR during OPCAB can help the patients reverseremodeling of the left ventricle, avoid the risks of cardiopulmonary bypass and improve cardiac function with good short-term effects. This method may be a good choice for treating patients with IMR.
Objective To evaluate the outcome and explore the mechanism of coronary vein bypass grafting （CVBG） performed by anastomosing the right internal mammary artery with the middle cardiac vein via off-pump surgery. Methods Twelve Chinese experimental miniswines （either male or female, age from 7 to 10 months, body weight 40±5 kg） with severely diffuse stenosis in the right coronary artery were randomly divided into control group and experiment group with 6 miniswines in each group, using a random number table method. CVBG was performed in the experiment group and sham surgery was performed in the control group. To assess cardiac function, graft flow, graft patency and micro-circulation reperfusion of ischemia myocardium, following measurements were conducted. Eight weeks after right coronary endarterectomy, transthoracic echocardiography was performed for both groups. Coronary angiography, graft flow and echocardiography were performed or measured 6 hours and 3 months after CVBG or sham surgery. Measurement of myocardial blood flow with non-radioactive colored microspheres was also conducted 3 months after surgery for two groups. Results There was no statistical difference in cardiac function 8 weeks after right coronary endarterectomy between the two groups. There were significant improvements in cardiac systolic and diastolic function （ejection fraction 3 months after operation: 52%±6% vs. 44%±5%, t=-2.500, P=0.031） in the experiment group after CVBG compared with the control group. Graft flow of the experiment group 6 hours and 3 months after CVBG were 44.50±5.86 ml/min and 43.33±5.01ml/min respectively （P=0.718）, and pulsatility index （PI） was 0.73±0.14 and 0.80±0.14 respectively（P=0.858）. Internal mammary artery grafts and the anastomoses were all patent without stenosis, documented by coronary artery angiography for the experiment group 6 hours and 3 months after CVBG. Myocardial flow in all aspects especially in the subendocardial layer, estimated by non-radioactive colored microsphere injection, was significantly higher in the experiment group after CVBG than that of the control group, transmural flow was 0.33±0.05ml/（g • min） vs. 0.19±0.03 ml/（g • min） （P＜0.05）. Conclusion Ischemic conditions of the myocardium can be relieved by CVBG using internal mammary artery in a short-term to medium-term period. The mechanism may be due to improvement of the myocardial micro-circulation.
Abstract： Objective?To summarize our experience of redo coronary artery bypass grafting（CABG） and explore appropriate redo CABG strategy for Chinese patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 27 patients who underwent redo CABG in People’s Hospital of Peking University from January 2000 to January 2010. There were 15 male patients and 12 female patients with their age of 41-84 （63±8） years. The mean time between the first CABG and the redo CABG was 45 （4-168） months. Preoperatively all the patients had unstable angina pectoris. Twenty-one patients were in New York Heart Association （NYHA） functional classⅠ-Ⅱ， and 6 patients were in NYHA functional classⅢ-Ⅳ. Preoperatively， their left ventricular end-diastolic dimension （LVEDD） was 41-69 （51.0±0.7） mm， and their left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） was 32%-78% （58%±12%）. At the time of redo CABG for the 27 patients， there were 6 new coronary artery lesions， 7 left internal mammary artery （LIMA） lesions， 3 radial artery lesions （including 1 proximal anastomosis lesion alone） and 49 saphenous vein graft （SVG） lesions （including 3 proximal lesions alone and 3 distal lesions alone）.?Results?The surgical approach of redo CABG included median sternotomy in 18 patients， left lateral thoracotomy in 8 patients， upper midline abdomen and subxiphoid incision in 1 patient. Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting （OPCAB） surgery was performed in 25 patients， but intra-operatively 2 patients underwent conversion to CABG under cardiopulmonary bypass. A total of 65 distal anastomoses and 41 proximal anastomoses were performed during redo CABG. A total of 10 LIMA， 3 right internal mammary artery (RIMA)， 16 left radial artery， 2 right radial artery and 17 SVG were used in redo CABG . There were 1-4 （2.4±0.8） distal anastomoses for each patients. The operation time was 170-530 （304±86）min. Postoperative transfusion was 0-10 （4.3±3.5） U packed red blood cells and 0-1 600 (685±549) ml fresh frozen plasma for each patient. Postoperative mechanical ventilation time was 6-156 （24±32） h and postoperative hospital stay was 7-35 （14±6） d . There was no in-hospital death. All the patients were discharged without any angina symptoms. A total of 26 patients were followed up and 1 patient was lost with the mean follow-up time of 80 （13-133） months. During follow-up， 16 patients were alive without angina symptoms， 4 patients died， and 6 patients had recurrent angina symptoms or heart failure. Conclusions OPCAB is an effective surgical strategy of redo CABG， but cardiopulmonary bypass should also be prepared. Arterial graft should be use as long as possible in redo CABG and the surgical strategy should be individualized.
Objective To investigate the clinical application of the right grstroepiploic artery (RGEA) in offpump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of the 38 patients who underwent RGEA grafts for OPCAB between December 2008 and July 2009 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. According to the difference of grafts, 76 patients undergoing OPCAB were divided into two groups. In the RGEA group, there were 38 patients including 36 males and 2 females with an age of 65.87±6.29 years. For the patients in this group, OPCAB was carried out with RGEA and other routine conduits as grafts. The control group had 38 patients including 35 males and 3 females with an age of 66.68±6.24 years. They underwent OPCAB with left internal mammary artery (LIMA), radial artery (RA), or saphenous vein (SV) as grafts. The intraoperative and postoperative clinical data for patients in both groups were analyzed and compared. Results All operations were carried out without serious complications like reoperation for bleeding, functional delayed gastric emptying, or severe infection, and no operative death occurred. Compared with the control group, operative time in the RGEA group was longer (295.53±45.16 min vs. 262.50±42.44 min,P=0.001), the number of anastomotic stomas [CM(159mm]was less (4.71±0.56 vs. 5.29±0.92, P=0.002), and less intraoperative plasma was consumed (194.74±186.30 ml vs. 565.79±382.70 ml, P=0.000). The 24 h drainage loss (394.71±205.36 ml vs. 536.32±258.85 ml, P=0.008), the blood cell consumption (1.67±1.48 U vs. 2.81±2.48 U, P=0.010) and the postoperative hospital stay (12.47±3.20 d vs. 15.47±9.31 d, P=0.035) were significantly lower in the RGEA group compared with those in the control group. Meanwhile, the time of postoperative mechanical ventilation time was longer in the RGEA group than that in the control group (1 398.82±1 349.94 min vs. 985.39±170.30 min, P=0.036). Seventytwo patients were followed up for a period from 9 to 17 months with 4 cases lost. No myocardial ischemia occurred in both groups of patients. Conclusion RGEA is an effective arterial conduit for OPCAB. It needs high technology and takes long operative time to apply RGEA in OPCAB.
Objective To investigate the effect of combined carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and offpump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) on patients with carotid arteriostenosis and coronary heart diseases. Methods A total of 121 consecutive patients with carotid arteriostenosis and coronary artery diseases underwent CEA and OPCAB between January 2003 and December 2009 in Nanjing First Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. There were 81 males and 40 females, with their ages ranged from 62 to 72 years (67.2±4.5 years). All patients had 3vessel coronary artery lesions, and there were 3 cases of left main coronary artery lesion. Unilateral carotid arteriostenosis (≥50%) occurred in 95 patients, and bilateral (≥50%) in 26 patients. The occurrence of stroke, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris and other complications after operation was observed, and followup was carried out. Results All patients underwent unilateral CEA including 50 on the right side and 71 left. The mean block time of carotid artery in CEA was 20.5±7.0 minutes. The average number of distal grafts per patient in OPCAB was 2.9±0.3. None of the patients had stroke or myocardial infarction and no perioperative death occurred. Eightyseven patients felt well in terms of their neuropsycho symptoms; 32 felt no change; and 2 worsened. Follow-up was done for all the patients with a follow-up rate of 100%. The mean time of the follow-up was 67.5±12.5 months. During this period, none of the patients manifested stroke, myocardial infarction or neuropsycho symptoms. Conclusion Concomitant OPCAB and CEA is a safe and effective procedure in patients with carotid arteriostenosis and coronary artery diseases. It can reduce the rate of postoperative stroke significantly. However, longterm outcome of the procedure needs operative experience accumulation, longterm follow-up and observation, and serious research and illumination.