Early experience of off-pump coronary artery bypass using Octopus Tissue Stabilizer

Objective: The Octopus Tissue Stabilizer stabilizes segments of the beating heart using a series of suction cups that do not damage myocardial tissue or compromise hemodynamics. This allows the heart to be positioned with the arterial target on a stable platform. In this study we present our early experience of off-pump coronary artery bypass using the Octopus Tissue Stabilizer.Methods: Between October 1997 and June 1998, 50 patients underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass using the Octopus Tissue Stabilizer (7.5% of all coronary artery bypass cases; average age: 67.0 ± 12.2). Preoperative ejection fraction was 15–70% (43.0 ± 14.0%). Median sternotomy was used for all operations.Results: The average number of grafts per patient was 2.5 ± 0.9. The average operating time was 191 ± 47 minutes. No patients returned to the operating room for postoperative bleeding or tamponade. Average intraoperative blood loss was 297 ± 190 ml. No patient experienced perioperative myocardial infarction. There were five hospital deaths and one late death. All patients were free of angina at discharge. No patients returned with angina or required clinical restudy.Conclusions: Off-pump coronary artery bypass offers the surgeon another tool to apply for appropriate patients. The Octopus Tissue Stabilizer allows the surgeon access to all parts of coronary circulation, extending the range of off-pump coronary artery bypass procedures, when the anatomy is appropriate.