Transmyocardial laser revascularisation combined with coronary artery bypass grafting without cardiopulmonary bypass.

OBJECTIVE: To achieve complete myocardial revascularisation in patients with diffuse coronary artery disease, patients with inordinately high risk of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) like severe systemic disease or diffuse atherosclerosis of the aorta. METHODS: We have adopted the technique of combining coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with transmyocardial laser revascularisation (TMLR) using 1000 W CO2 laser machine. TMLR is done to areas supplied by ungraftable arteries, while CABG without cardiopulmonary bypass is done to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and/or right coronary artery (RCA). TMLR + CABG on beating heart without CPB has been performed on 56 patients. Age ranged from 37 to 81 years with a mean of 56.17. Four patients were in renal failure, two were redo CABG. Preoperatively 39.28% patients had angina class III and 10.71% had angina class IV. Four patients were on preoperative IABP support. RESULTS: The mean number of grafts was 1.09. Internal thoracic artery (ITA) was used in 96.4% of the patients. Five patients showed elevation of CPK-MB, while three patients had an increase in Troponin T. Mortality was 1.8% (one patient died of intractable ventricular arrhythmia). The mean follow-up is 9.2 months. Myocardial perfusion scanning showed a stepwise improvement in reversible ischemia increasing from 52% at baseline to 91% at 12 months; 90.9% of the patients were angina free at 12 months. Metabolic stress test demonstrated an average increase in exercise tolerance from 5.2 min at baseline to 9.4 min at 12 months. Metabolic equivalents (METs) increased from 4.5 at baseline to 9.4 at 12 months. The average 44% Karnofsky score preoperative also increased to 86% at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the technique is surgically feasible and safe, with excellent short term results.

Coronary artery bypass surgery without cardiopulmonary bypass: short- and mid-term results.

From March 1994 to April 1997, 433 patients had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting without cardiopulmonary bypass in our institute. Sixty-eight patients had various organ dysfunctions and/or aortic atheroma or calcification and were regarded as high risk for cardiopulmonary bypass. In 277 patients surgery was performed through midline sternotomy, while in 156 minithoracotomy approach was used. In 361 patients single coronary artery bypass grafting was done, and in 72 two-coronary arteries were bypassed. In 63 patients who had graftable vessels in anterior wall and diffusely diseased ungraftable vessels in posterolateral and/or inferior wall, transmyocardial laser revascularisation was also done along with coronary artery bypass grafting to achieve complete myocardial revascularisation. Nine patients in this series were also subjected to simultaneous carotid endarterectomy along with myocardial revascularisation. In two patients complementary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty of left circumflex coronary artery was done five days after minithoracotomy and left internal mammary artery to left anterior descending coronary artery bypass grafting. Forty-two cases were extubated in operating room. Average blood loss was 260 ml. Six patients were reexplored for postoperative bleeding. Seven patients had perioperative myocardial infarction. One developed neurological complication. Hospital mortality was 2.3 percent (10/433 cases) and four deaths were due to malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Nine patients developed chest wound complications. Average hospital stay after operation was six days, 423 patients were discharged from hospital and all of them were asymptomatic. During three years follow-up (range 3 to 38 months) there were three known cardiac deaths. Ninety percent (391) patients reported to the follow-up clinic and 91 percent of them were angina-free. In patients who were subjected to transmyocardial laser revascularisation along with coronary artery bypass grafting, myocardial perfusion scan showed a step-wise improvement in reversible ischemia. The perfusion index increased from 52 percent at three months to 90 percent at 12 months. We conclude that coronary artery bypass grafting without cardiopulmonary bypass can be done with relatively low mortality, more so in a group of patients in whom cardiopulmonary bypass poses a high risk. Transmyocardial laser revascularisation is a suitable means to provide complete myocardial revascularisation along with coronary artery bypass surgery in patients who have graftable vessels in anterior wall and ungraftable vessels in posterolateral and inferior walls.

Transmyocardial laser revascularisation as an adjunct to CABG.

Transmyocardial laser revascularisation (TMLR), a new technique in which the ischaemic myocardium is perfused via laser-created transmural channels, was performed in 116 patients at the Escorts Heart Institute. TMLR was combined with CABG in 104 of these patients. The main indication for the combined procedure was the presence of one or more bypassable vessels along with diffuse disease in the other vessels. The age of the patients ranged from 37 to 73 years. Preoperatively, 53.84 percent of patients had Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) class III angina while 24 percent had class IV angina. The mean LVEF was 46 percent; however, 19 percent of the patients had LVEF < 35 percent. Thirteen patients were operated upon a beating heart without cardiopulmonary bypass. The early mortality was 2.88 percent, 7.69 percent of patients showed elevation in CPK-MB, while 5.76 percent had a rise in Troponin 'T' and 2 percent of patients showed ECG changes. The mean follow-up was 7.6 months. Myocardial perfusion scan showed a step-wise improvement in reversible ischaemia, the perfusion index increasing from 52 percent at 3 months to 91 percent at 12 months. At 12 months, 91.6 percent of patients were angina-free. The Karnofsky score of 46 percent at baseline also increased to 86 percent at 12 months.

Surgical sterilization by vasectomy and its effects on the structure and function of the testis in man.

The early and late effects of vasectomy have been investigated in 40 men. Besides histopathological examination, the volume of the testis and its total content of testosterone-screting Leydig cells have been measured. The volume of the testis showed a wide normal variation (5-3-23-3 ml) but was not significantly changed by vasectomy. One month after vasectomy widespread degeneration of the germinal epithelium, thickening of the basement membrane and some intertubular fibrosis were observed. Spermatogenesis had ceased. However, cases examined 2-31/2 years later showed an essentially normal structure with active spermatogenesis. This indicates that regeneration does occur spontaneously, even without recanalization. Whether the sperms formed are functionally normal remains uncertain. The normal total Leydig cell volume was 2-2 plus or minus 0-4 ml/testis in young adults and showed a modest increase after vasectomy, rising to 2-5 plus or minus 0-5 ml after 1 month and 2-6 plus or minus 0-5 ml after 2-31/2 years. The findings have been discussed in the light of Steinach's (1927) original hypothesis that vasectomy can rejuvenate ageing males by improving the endocrine function of the testis.