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Objective: The invention of robotic systems has begun a new era of endoscopic cardiac surgery. Reports on totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting are limited, however, and data regarding feasibility, safety, and efficacy are needed to determine this technique's position in the therapeutic armamentarium. This study describes the largest multicenter experience in the literature with robotic totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting specifically addressing procedural feasibility, safety, and efficacy., Methods: Between September 1998 and November 2002, a total of 228 patients with coronary artery disease were scheduled for totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting with the da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical Inc, Sunnyvale, Calif.) at five European institutions. Patients underwent totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting with either an on-pump (group A, n = 117) or an off-pump approach (group B, n = 111). Patients underwent postoperative angiography or stress electrocardiography and were followed up for 6 months., Results: Procedural feasibility was demonstrated through the completion of 164 successful totally endoscopic cases. Sixty-four patients (group C, 28%) had conversion to nonrobotic procedures. Conversion rates decreased with time. The overall procedural efficacy, as defined by angiographic patency or lack of ischemic signs on stress electrocardiography, was 97%. The incidence of major adverse cardiac events within 6 months was 5%., Conclusion: Both on- and off-pump totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting are feasible, with a conversion rate that diminishes with increasing experience. Conversion does not adversely affect outcome and thus constitutes a safe alternative. Although target vessel reintervention may be slightly higher than that reported for open coronary artery bypass grafting, graft patency and major adverse cardiac events for both approaches are comparable to those reported in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons database, demonstrating the safety and efficacy of the totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting procedure.

Background: To avoid hemodynamic deterioration during tilting of the heart in off-pump surgery, we perform atrial pacing. We describe hemodynamic evaluation of this simple maneuver., Methods: Eleven consecutive patients (8 men, 3 women; age, 68.14 +/- 10.3 years; left ventricular ejection fraction, 51.17% +/- 18.6%) admitted for coronary artery bypass grafting were equipped with a PiCCO catheter (Pulsion Medical Systems, Munich, Germany) for monitoring of cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), stroke volume (SV), heart rate (HR), and systemic vascular resistance. In addition, mean and systolic arterial pressure (RRm, RRs) as well as left atrial pressure (LAP) were monitored. During the procedure, temporary pacemaker wires were installed, and hemodynamic monitoring was performed before and after atrial pacing. All procedures were performed with the same standardized offpump technique., Results: All patients survived the procedure without inotropic support. In all cases a branch of the circumflex artery was grafted. The number of grafts per patient was 2.7. There was a statistically significant increase in RRs (11.12 mm Hg), RRm (9.72 mm Hg), HR (31.6 beats/min), CO (1.09 L/min), and CI (0.61 L/min per m2) (P <.005). SV decreased statistically significantly (11.8 mL, P <.005) as did LAP (6 mm Hg, P < .05)., Conclusions: Atrial pacing increases intraoperative RRs, RRm, CO, and CI and decreases SV and LAP significantly, thus offering stable hemodynamics during off-pump surgery. In the last 400 consecutive off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting procedures, there was only 1 (0.25%) conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass.

Objective: The application of an endoscopic stabilizer (Intuitive Surgical, Mountain View, CA, USA) enables closed chest off-pump coronary artery bypass via a four-point stab incision avoiding sternotomy and minithoracotomy., Methods: Between May 1999 and January 2001 we operated upon a total of 37 patients (five female, 32 male, median age 62+/-9 years) suffering from coronary artery disease using totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB), whereas an initial series of eight TECAB patients was operated upon using an endovascular bypass system (Heartport). The da Vinci surgical system was used in order to perform left internal mammary artery (LIMA) or right internal mammary artery (RIMA) harvesting and anastomoses on a beating heart in 29 patients (four female, 25 male, median age 64+/-9.8 years). Altogether 26 patients suffering from single-vessel coronary artery disease (SVCAD) were revascularized applying LIMA to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and three patients with two diseased coronary vessels received bilateral internal mammary artery grafting (BIMA), respectively., Results: In this series we had a 100% survival rate. Conversion rate to a median sternotomy was 3.4%. Patients were operated upon via four 1-cm chest incisions using the da Vinci robot for LIMA or BIMA harvesting and for performance of anastomoses on the beating heart. In the overall series of 56 patients intended to be treated by TECAB, 19 (33.9%) were converted to a minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass procedure., Conclusion: This new robotic-enhanced surgical technique promotes an optimistic way of thinking about the further development of this procedure and its application in patients suffering from single-vessel CAD.

Background: The introduction of robotic enhanced surgery demanded stepwise development of performed procedures on the basis of growing experience of the operating team., Methods and Results: Between May 1999 and January 2001, this new wrist-enhanced instrumentation was used in 201 patients (156 men and 45 women, median age 64+/-10.5 years, left ventricular ejection fraction 68+/-12.4%). During the development of robotic enhanced CABG, the patients were divided into 3 groups. Group A (n=156) consisted of patients in whom the robotic system was used to harvesting the left or right internal mammary artery, or both, whereas the anastomoses were performed directly through a small chest incision. In group B (n=37), the harvest of the internal mammary arteries and the coronary anastomoses were performed totally endoscopically. In a third early group C, patient (n=8) were treated with robotic enhanced CABG via a median sternotomy already preoperatively planned, whereas gradual step-by-step application of robotic instrumentation and its feasibility were assessed. The survival rate was 99.4%. One patient (0.6%) died due to pneumonia on postoperative day 16. Conversion rate to median sternotomy was 5%. The left and right internal mammary artery conduits could be successfully harvested in 98% and 100%, respectively. The time of dissection of the left internal mammary artery could be significantly reduced alone by increasing experience. All patients were discharged from the hospital after a mean of 7 days. In 9 patients (4.5%), bleeding required reexploration., Conclusions: The introduction of this new surgical tool enables the development of new endoscopic procedures. Our results gained during the development of robotic enhanced CABG motivate us to establish a set standard for the totally endoscopic treatment of patients with 1-vessel coronary artery disease.

With the introduction of the da Vinci robotic surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Mountain View, CA) into minimally invasive cardiac surgery, the outlook of performing coronary artery bypass operations "closed chest" became a reality. Between May 1999 and July 2000 this wrist-enhanced instrumentation was used in 143 patients (107 men, 36 women, median age 63 10.3 y). Thirteen patients suffering from coronary artery disease (CAD) were treated as totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB), 79 patients underwent a minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass procedure, and 35 patients were treated using the robotic-enhanced Dresden Technique. Preoperative survival was 100%. All patients in the TECAB group were operated upon via a three- or four-point stab incision using the da Vinci robot for internal mammary artery takedown and for performance of anastomoses. These new robotic-enhanced surgical techniques promote an optimistic way of thinking about the further development of these procedures and its application in patients suffering from CAD.

Bypass surgery has become a routine procedure for the treatment of coronary artery disease. Due to increase numbers of high-risk patients minimally invasive techniques were introduced in cardiac surgery with excellent clinical results. In addition molecular methods have been applied for primary and secondary treatment of coronary artery disease.

Background: With the introduction of the da Vinci robotic surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Mountain View, CA) into minimally invasive cardiac operations the outlook for performing coronary artery bypass operations "closed chest" became a reality., Methods: Between May 1999 and December 1999 this new wrist-enhanced instrumentation was used in 61 patients. Six patients suffering from single-vessel coronary artery disease and one female patient with double-vessel disease underwent totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass. Thirty-seven patients with single-vessel disease underwent a minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass procedure. Seventeen patients with double-vessel disease were treated using the robotic-enhanced Dresden technique., Results: Perioperative survival was 100%. In all patients the internal mammary arteries were safely harvested endoscopically and had excellent quality. In both totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass groups all patients were operated on through three stab incisions., Conclusions: Our preliminary experience with this new surgical technique using robotic-enhanced minimally invasive methods for coronary artery disease promotes optimism regarding further development of these procedures and application in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: A tendency to reduce operative trauma is determining the evolution of cardiac surgical techniques lately. The introduction of robotic-enhanced endoscopic systems enables surgeons to perform arterial revascularization for multivessel disease without sternotomy., Methods: From May 1999,17 (4 women, 13 men; median age 63+/-7.4 years) patients with multivessel coronary artery disease were treated surgically using arterial revascularization by means of bilateral internal mammary arteries. Both arteries were harvested endoscopically using the da Vinci system (Intuitive Surgical, Mountain View, CA). These vessels were anastomosed using the "Dresden technique.", Results: Survival was 100%. Mean duration of the operation was 255+/-40.4 minutes. Bilateral internal mammary artery harvesting took 88.5+/-15.9 minutes; cross-clamp time was 36+/-8.7 minutes. An average of 2.06 anastomoses were performed per operation. Postoperatively, patients remained in the intensive care unit for 21+/-13 hours. One patient (5.8%) needed reexploration due to bleeding., Conclusions: The robotic surgical system introduces a new treatment of coronary artery disease to surgical practice, and enables arterial revascularization with distinctly reduced surgical trauma.

Objectives: In order to evaluate the benefit provided through less invasive surgical techniques for the treatment of multivessel coronary artery disease, a prospective clinical trial was started., Methods: Group 1 included 53 patients (38 males, 15 females, age 51-79 years, mean 62.8 +/- 6.1 years) receiving conventional bypass surgery, group 2 included 69 patients (59 male, 10 female, age 43-82 years, mean 61.9 +/- 8.6 years) receiving less invasive surgical procedure including minithoracotomy in combination with cardiopulmonary bypass., Results: No perioperative death occurred in the whole series of patients. Time of operation was 267 +/- 61 min in group 2 and 162.9 +/- 53.6 min in group 1. Intensive Care Unit stay was 1 day for both groups and Hospitalization 6.9 +/- 6.0 for group 1 and 7.5 +/- 2.6 days for group 2. Perioperative bleeding was less in group 2 (P > 0.01). Back and chest pain assessment on postoperative day 3 showed less pain in group 2 (P < 0.05). Three-month follow-up revealed ischemia in stress electrocardiogram in two patients (3.8%) in group 1 and in 2 patients (2.9%) in group 2. Coronary angiograms confirmed the stress ECG findings. There was one (1.4%) redo operation in group 2 and two (3.8%) in group 1., Conclusions: Both techniques are equal efficient. Even though time of operation is longer in patients receiving less invasive procedure, intensive care unit stay and hospitalization is exactly as long. Patients receiving minimally invasive surgery bleed less and have less pain early postoperatively.

Objectives: If coronary disease is the target of a minimally invasive procedure, median sternotomy or cardiopulmonary bypass or both can be avoided. Similar to the development in other fields of surgery, minimally invasive surgical techniques are gaining increased acceptance in the field of cardiothoracic surgery. Our experience with an off pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) technique in a special patients group with serious risk factors for the application of cardiopulmonary bypass has been analyzed., Methods: Between March 1996 and January 1999, 88 patients (64 male, 24 female) with impaired left ventricular function, or other high risk factors jeopardizing the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, such as impaired renal or lung function or heavily calcified aorta, received a beating heart procedure using the Medtronic Octopus stabilizing system., Results: All patients survived the actual operation, however, two multimorbide patients died of pneumonia on postoperative day 31 and postoperative day 35., Conclusions: Patients with single-vessel to multivessel disease and serious risk factors for cardiopulmonary bypass can be safely treated by OPCAB surgery. At our institution this technique presents the procedure of choice in this particular patients group.

Objectives: New less invasive surgical techniques for the treatment of coronary artery single-vessel disease have been developed by either avoiding median sternotomy or cardiopulmonary bypass or both, however, until now no prospective randomized trial has been carried out to compare these techniques to the conventional approach with special respect to the psychosomatical effects., Methods: In a prospective randomized trial four different surgical techniques were compared. Group 1: conventional technique (median sternotomy, cardiopulmonary bypass) in ten patients (eight male, two female, age 59.6 +/- 11.0 years); Group 2: off-pump coronary artery bypass with median sternotomy in nine patients (six male, three female, age 65.7 +/- 11.1 years); Group 3: lateral minithoracotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass in eight patients (five male, three female, age 62.3 +/- 9.9 years). Group 4: off-pump procedure and lateral minithoracotomy in nine patients (eight male, one female, age 63.8 +/- 11.3 years). All patients due to coronary artery single-vessel disease. The tests used for psychosomatic situation were post-traumatic stress disorders scale, pain behavior rating scale, pain visual analog scale, and 6' walking-distance. For detection of false results due to surgical technical failures 3-month follow-up was undertaken including echocardiography and coronary angiogram., Results: There were no deaths or major complications. Operative time was longer in lateral minithoracotomy procedures, but intensive care unit stay and hospitalization were equal in all groups. Pain visual analog scale and pain behavior rating scale showed a peak on post-operative day 4 in median sternotomy procedures. Post-traumatic stress disorder scale revealed higher values on post-operative day 4 and equalizing with lateral minithoracotomy procedures 1 month post-operatively. Six-minutes walking distance on post-operative day 4 was longer in the group with lateral minithoracotomy. Three-month follow-up revealed patency of all grafts., Conclusions: Even if surgery is successful in all procedures, operative time is longer in lateral minithoracotomy procedures without compromising intensive care unit stay and hospital stay. More pain with multiple post-traumatic stress disorders is related to median sternotomy, and post-operative convalescence is superior for lateral minithoracotomy procedures.

Background: In a prospective clinical trial, a group of patients receiving less invasive surgical procedure, including minithoracotomy in combination with cardiopulmonary bypass (group 1), was compared to a group of patients receiving conventional bypass surgery (group 2) for the treatment of coronary artery disease., Methods: Group 1 included 85 patients (71 men, 14 women, aged 39 to 82 years, median 61.1 +/- 9.0 years); group 2 included 53 patients (38 men, 15 women, aged 51 to 79 years, median 62.0 +/- 6.1 years)., Results: There were no perioperative deaths in the whole series of patients. Time of operation was 256 +/- 43 minutes in group 1 and 150.0 +/- 53.6 minutes in group 2. Hospitalization was 6.0 +/- 1.4 days and intensive care unit stay 1 day for both groups. Back pain assessment on postoperative day 3 showed less pain in group 1. Three-month follow-up revealed ischemia in stress electrocardiogram in 2 patients (2.5%) in group 1 and in 2 patients (4.1%) in group 2. Coronary angiograms confirmed the stress-electrocardiogram findings., Conclusions: Surgical results are equal for both techniques. Even though time of operation is longer in patients receiving less invasive procedures, intensive care unit stay and hospital stays are the same length. Early postoperative back pain is less in group 1 and combined with faster convalescence.

Objective: The treatment of coronary single vessel disease under minimally invasive surgical conditions was followed by the treatment of coronary multivessel disease using a new technique., Methods: Using this technique 100 patients (80 male, 20 female, median age 61.0+/-8.9 years, ranged from 39 to 82 years) with coronary single vessel disease, double vessel disease or multivessel disease were treated between November 1996 and December 1997. Via a small (6-9 cm) left lateral chest incision in the second or third intercostal space, the left internal thoracic mammary artery (LIMA) was harvested and access to the central portion of the heart including the ascending aorta was obtained. In parallel, saphenous vein segments were harvested. Arterial cannulation was instituted via the ascending aorta, thus avoiding retrograde flow. In all patients except three the LIMA was used for the left anterior descending artery (LAD). In addition vein grafts were used for revascularization of the other coronary arteries. All cardiac anastomoses were performed during cardioplegic arrest after external aortic cross clamping and antegrade application of cardioplegia., Results: No death or intraoperative complications were observed in this series. The median hospital stay was 6.0+/-1.4 days (median+/-SEM). Postoperative complications were reexplored for bleeding (n = 1), delayed wound healing (n = 2), wound infections (n = 4), lymphatic fistulas (n = 4), and a chest wall hernia (n = 1)., Conclusions: This minimally invasive surgical technique presents a safe alternative to conventional coronary artery surgery avoiding sternotomy related complications and decreasing hospital stay and morbidity.

Background: If coronary artery multivessel disease is the target of a minimally invasive procedure, either median sternotomy or cardiopulmonary bypass can be avoided., Methods: We used an alternate technique instead of minithoracotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass to treat 102 patients (82 men, 20 women; age range, 39 to 82 years; median, 61.0 +/- 8.9 years) for coronary artery single-vessel, double-vessel, or multivessel disease between November 1996 and January 1998. Twenty-nine patients (22 men, 7 women; age range, 46 to 78 years; median, 69.0 +/- 8.4 years), who were in a high-risk group for the development of perioperative complications because of the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, received median sternotomy and a beating heart procedure using the Octopus stabilizing technique. The left anterior descending coronary artery was the target vessel in all patients except for 1, in whom the left internal mammary artery was used., Results: There was no intraoperative death in either series. In the beating heart group (Octopus) 2 patients died on postoperative day 31 and 35, respectively, of postoperative pneumonia., Conclusions: Both techniques present safe alternative procedures to conventional coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with coronary artery multivessel disease.

Background: To avoid sternotomy-related complications after cardiac operations, we developed a minimally invasive surgical technique for the treatment of multivessel coronary artery disease., Methods: From November 1996 to May 1997, 39 patients (age range, 50 to 78 years) with coronary artery disease were treated with the use of this technique. Through a small (6- to 9-cm) left lateral chest incision in the third intercostal space, the left internal mammary artery was harvested directly. With the use of cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic arrest in all patients except 1, the left internal mammary artery was anastomosed to the left anterior descending artery. In addition, vein grafts and other arterial conduits were used for revascularization of the other coronary arteries., Results: There were no intraoperative complications. All the patients survived the procedure and had an uneventful postoperative course. Wound complications occurred in 2 patients. The median (+/- standard error of the mean) hospital stay was 6 +/- 1 days., Conclusions: This technique combines minimally invasive surgical conditions with the safety standards of routine cardiac operations. With the use of this approach, even extensive coronary artery disease can be treated.

Background: To reduce surgical trauma, we performed minimally invasive Port-Access (Heartport Inc, Redwood City, CA) coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic arrest., Methods: Thirty-six men and 6 women with a median age of 59 years (range, 31 to 75 years) and isolated lesions of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery underwent Port-Access coronary artery bypass grafting. A small (6- to 9-cm) incision was made parasternally on top of the fourth rib. The left internal thoracic (mammary) artery was dissected and taken down through the minithoracotomy either alone or using an additional thoracoscopic approach. Cardiopulmonary bypass was instituted through femoral cannulation, and an additional endoarterial balloon catheter (Heartport Inc) was introduced into the ascending aorta for aortic occlusion, aortic root venting, and the delivery of cold antegrade crystalloid cardioplegia. After cardioplegic arrest, the left internal mammary artery was anastomosed to the left anterior descending artery under direct vision., Results: The median left internal mammary artery takedown time was 49.5 +/- 21.9 minutes, the duration of cardiopulmonary bypass was 59.5 +/- 32.8 minutes, the aortic occlusion time was 28.5 +/- 7.9 minutes, the intensive care unit stay was 1.0 +/- 3.2 days, and the total hospital stay was 5.0 +/- 2.5 days. Intraoperative angiograms were done in the first 10 patients and showed patent left internal mammary artery grafts without anastomotic complications in all cases. Two arterial dissections, including one aortic dissection, were observed in patients with preexisting peripheral vascular disease. The other complications were minor. All but 1 patient recovered well, with no major limitations in their daily activities., Conclusions: Using this minimally invasive method, sternotomy-related complications can be avoided, the hospital stay can be reduced, and a safe coronary artery bypass grafting procedure can be performed with the advantage of cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic arrest as are used routinely in conventional coronary artery operations.

From July 1997 to February 1998 we performed either minimally invasive or endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting in 55 patients and compared the results with those of 46 patients after conventional saphenous vein harvesting. Minimally invasive and endoscopical vein harvesting can be safely performed after a longer learning curve. Patients after minimally invasive and endoscopical saphenous vein harvesting showed fewer wound healing problems and better cosmetic results than after conventional vein harvesting.

To reduce surgical trauma and median sternotomy related complications in cardiac surgery, a new minimally invasive surgical technique has been developed for the treatment of coronary artery multivessel disease using a small left lateral chest incision in the 3rd intercostal space. This technique enables direct LIMA harvesting and performance of bypass surgery upon all coronary vessels with cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic arrest. So far, 123 patients have been treated with this procedure and survived with fewer complications, and we believe that routine application of this procedure will lead to reduced morbidity in patients receiving coronary artery bypass surgery, short hospital stay and early convalescence, combined with good cosmetic results.