Beating Heart Surgery                                                **UNDERCONSTRUCTION**

The clinical definition for Beating Heart Surgery  is Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB) without the use of the Heart/Lung Machine.  It has been performed for several years in South America by Dr. Bennetti (Argentina) and Dr. Buffolo (Brazil) where economic constraints has forced them to look for alternative procedures for treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the surgical setting.

There are two terms associated with this surgery:
OPCAB - (Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass)
MIDCAB - (Minimally Invasive Direct vision Coronary Artery Bypass)

These two terms were among several others that characterized a paradigm in Cardiac Surgery for the year 2000.  Others include paramount blood conservation techniques, anti-inflammatory strategies, decreased repeat surgical procedures, and the use of IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists.

The gold standard of treatment of CAD as we know it in the surgical setting is competing with a strong challenger in the catheterization laboratory.  The development of balloon angioplasty (Gruentzig, A.) and coronary artery stenting has taken a definitive hold of care in this arena.  There is now major competition between cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons for patients with CAD.

The initiation of Beating Heart Surgery which avoids the use of the heart/lung machine altogether and the complications associated with its use offers the patient a viable alternative with reduced invasive revascularization and the same benefits of surgery.

Some advantages to Beating Heart Surgery include:
Small Operative Site (MIDCAB)
Reduced need for Pain Medications
Early Extubation
Elimination of Great Vessel Cannulation
Increased Blood Conservation
Decreased Transfusion Requirements
Endoscopic Saphinous Vein Harvesting (option)
Decrease possibility of Coagulapathy
Decrease possibility of Hemodilution

Created 3/99; Modified 09/05/2005