B eating heart revascularization gained popularity several years previously as an attractive method to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with cardiopulmonary bypass surgery (CPB). As technological advances improved the ability of surgeons to reproduce the results of 'off-pump' coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB), several clinical trials were initiated to compare the early clinical outcomes of OPCAB with those of standard myocardial revascularization using a CPB circuit (on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery [ONCAB]).While the majority of observational studies favoured clinical outcomes following OPCAB, these results were not substantiated in subsequent randomized clinical trials. Indeed, a recent meta-analysis (1) suggested very little benefit of OPCAB over conventional ONCAB. Despite these findings, most surgeons continue to believe that OPCAB is beneficial in certain high-risk subgroups. The present study examined whether there are sex-specific benefits of OPCAB, particularly with respect to hospital resource use. To adjust for the selected nature of OPCAB patients, a propensity score analysis was performed to match male and female cohorts with standard preoperative demographic characteristics. The present study demonstrates that the potential beneficial effects of OPCAB are not observed in female patients. In contrast, there were significant benefits in resource use for male patients undergoing isolated myocardial revascularization using an off-pump technique. BACkgROunD: Previous studies have demonstrated that off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB) is associated with less use of hospital resources compared with on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (ONCAB). OBJECTiVE: To determine whether there is a sex effect between the two procedures regarding resource utilization. METHODS: Between 1996 and 2004, 13,522 patients (10,637 men and 2885 women) underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery at the Toronto General Hospital (Toronto, Ontario). Among the men, 10,121 patients underwent ONCAB and 516 underwent OPCAB. The female population consisted of 2723 ONCAB and 162 OPCAB patients. Both groups were matched to standard preoperative risk factors. A propensity score macro-matched 471 OPCAB men to 471 ONCAB men, and 148 OPCAB women to 148 ONCAB women. RESuLTS: The mean (± SD) postoperative length of stay (7.5±6.5 days versus 6.4±5.5 days; P<0.0001) was significantly higher in ONCAB compared with OPCAB in the male population. The mean length of stay in the intensive care unit and the mean ventilation time was similar between the groups. However, in the female population, there were no differences in mean posoperative length of stay (8±5.9 days versus 8±6 days; P=0.4), mean length of stay in the intensive care unit (43±38 h versus 53±81 h; P=0.4) or mean ventilation time (9.8±9.7 h versus 11±13 h; P=0.8). COnCLuSiOn: These results suggest that the benefits of OPCAB in terms of hospital resource use are influenced by sex. The potential beneficial effects are not demonstrated in the female ...