According to Maquet, a new study suggests that a campless technique, consisting of off-pump coronary artery bypass in combination with Maquet’s Heartstring proximal seal system, reduces the risk of perioperative strokes during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). These data were presented 60th Annual Meeting of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association (30 October–2 November, Scottsdale, USA).
A press release reports that the 1,380-person study evaluated the incidence of post-operative stroke in people undergoing CABG while using the Heartstring device to maintain haemostasis during the attachment of grafts to the aorta (proximal anastomosis). Across all aortic disease levels, the Heartstring device was associated with a 45% reduction in stroke risk compared with what would have been expected given patient risk factors.
The objective of the study was to examine the incidence of post-operative stroke in CABG using the Heartstring device in varying diseased aortas. These data were derived from a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent CABG with one or more proximal anastomoses constructed using the Heartstring technology at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta from April 2003 to December 2012.
Lead author on the study, Vinod Thourani (associate professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Emory University, USA) states: “Surgeons constantly strive to prevent stroke during CABG surgery, and these data provide additional evidence to support the use of an off-pump technique and Heartstring when performing this life saving procedure.”
