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OPCAB (off pump coronary artery bypass) has become a preferred technique of coronary revascularization in India, and more so in the East. This technique was restarted by Buffalo and Bennetti who had published their results in 1985. Since then, there has been a great enthusiasm among coronary surgeons to develop and standardize this technique of CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting). In the late nineties, nearly all the coronary centers in India started performing this technique. But, by the early 2000, only a few surgeons continued this practice. Only those who could perform this OPCAB technique in nearly 100% of their patients continued this and the rest of them returned back to the conventional on pump CABG. To attain this result, we had to re-engineer our technique of anesthesia, surgical technique, stabilization, and positioning of the heart to enable us to perform OPCAB in all patients who needed CABG. We have analyzed our last 3000 patients operated by the same surgeon (Dr MPV), in the same center with the same team. As OPCAB was the only procedure performed for coronary revascularization, we have compared our first 1000 patients, with the second 2000 patients that underwent the procedure. Our technique and our results are presented.

Whether coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) should be performed on- or off-pump remains a matter of debate. We aim to present our experience with off-pump CABG. Early clinical outcome and adverse events were analyzed over the time course of the study. Methods: A total of 4310 patients undergoing isolated off- pump CABG from January 2002 until December 2016 at the Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences in India were included. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative, as well as follow-up data were prospectively collected. To analyze the differences of patient characteristics and outcomes over time, five-year periods were created (early: 2002-2006; middle: 2007-2011; late: 2012-2016). Traditional techniques of quality control monitoring were applied. Results: The mean age of our patients was 59 ± 9 years, and 13% (533) were female. Postoperative mortality was observed in 0.7% (25), acute renal failure and stroke in 0.2% (8) each, and mediastinitis in 1.2% (53) of the patients. Despite the progressive worsening of the patient risk profile, significant improvement in mortality was observed over time, while stroke, acute renal failure, and mediastinitis remained similar. Continuous quality control monitoring revealed that the system was within the control boundaries for the entire period of the study. The current probability of 30-day mortality or conversion to on-pump CABG is about 0.5%. Conclusion: Off-pump CABG is safe and effective for patients undergoing CABG. It can provide superior results compared to on-pump CABG, particularly when performed by a dedicated off-pump surgeon.

We report a successful treatment of the first reported case of Guillaine-Barre Syndrome (GBS) detected post Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (OPCAB). A 70-year-old man underwent OPCAB surgery for Triple Vessel Disease. In the post-operative period he developed respiratory distress with unexplained weakness in the limbs. CSF study confirmed Guillaine-Barre Syndrome. He was administered immunoglobulin therapy. The patient fully recovered and was discharged in good health.

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