Is off-pump bypass surgery (OPCAB) done at the Heart Institute?
Five-ten percent of our bypass surgery is done without the heart lung machine. We use this technique when we believe it will be beneficial to the patient, and avoid it when we believe it will compromise the safety or result of the surgery. We look at off-pump surgery as one of many tools in our tool box, and like all good craftsmen, we try to choose the right tool for the situation. Off-pump surgery has been marketed as a great improvement over conventional bypass surgery, but as more results have surfaced, enthusiasm has dampened significantly. At the same time, angioplasty and stenting has been able to treat the more simple cases. The more severe, multi-vessel disease that is left is best treated with conventional bypass surgery in most patients. Are aneurysms of the thoracic aorta operated on at the Heart Institute Aneurysms of the ascending aorta are done routinely by all of the Heart Institute’s surgeons. Aneurysms of the aortic arch and descending aorta however are less common. D
