Off pump coronary artery bypass surgery

Abstract

Coronary Artery Disease is a common ailment. Thousands of patients undergo revascularisation surgery every year in the U.K. Conventionally this surgery has been conducted with cardiopulmonary bypass, but increasingly the operation is being done without the support of the bypass machine. This article intends to provide a broad overview of the development and theory behind 'Beating Heart' cardiac surgery, with discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the technique, as well as to offer a succinct outline of anaesthesia for off pump coronary artery bypass surgery.