ABSTRACT
The number of patients who need coronary artery surgery growth every year. Most of these surgical operations are with extracorporeal circulation (ECC). Recently in our hospital this surgery is realized without ECC in selected patients. Some studies shows that this surgery is an alternative in the treatment of coronary artery disease, especially for aged patients with associated disease and in Jehovah's witness faith. A coronary artery diameter at the anastomotic site of 2 mm or greater and satisfactory hemodynamics with the cardiac manipulation are needed to realize this surgery. Given these limitations this technique has proved useful in selected patients requiring revascularization of the left anterior descending, circumflex or right coronary artery (not for grafting the posterior descending branch). The need of mechanical ventilation, days at ICU, blood required, morbidity and mortality, in our experience as in other studies, were fewer than surgery with CEC.
