Risk factors for wound infection after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting are comparable with those previously reported for conventional bypass grafting. In patients with diabetes, the use of bilateral internal thoracic arteries, even when harvested in a skeletonized fashion, is a risk factor. Thus, appropriate precautions should be taken in patients with diabetes.

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Mechanical unloading preserved myocardial contractility and β-adrenergic response but worsened myocardial relaxation. Furthermore, prolonged mechanical unloading has a tendency to increase the ratio of the fibrotic area and myocardial apoptosis. These unfavorable responses, although secondary to prolonged mechanical unloading, may have a negative impact on the bridge to recovery in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Recently, a new proximal anastomosis device of a saphenous vein graft (SVG) to the aorta, the PAS-Port device (Cardica, Redwood City, Calif) has been introduced and yielded encouraging results in terms of neurologic complications and early patency. 1,2 However, there is a concern about the midterm (at least 1 year after surgical intervention) patency rate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the midterm patency rate of SVGs whose proximal anastomosis was performed with the PAS-Port device.

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