Bilateral internal thoracic artery use in coronary artery bypass grafting in the post-ART era - Perspective

Minimally Invasive Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

We conducted a systematic review of all available evidence on the feasibility and safety of minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting (MICS CABG) in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD).

METHODS

A systematic literature search in PubMed, MEDLINE via Ovid, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science was performed to identify all relevant studies evaluating outcomes of MICS CABG among patients with multivessel CAD and including at least 15 patients with no restriction on the publication date.

RESULTS

A total of 881 studies were identified, of which 26 studies met the eligibility criteria. The studies included a total of 7,556 patients. The average patient age was 63.3 years (range 49.5 to 69.0 years), male patients were an average of 77.8% (54.0% to 89.8%), and body mass index was 29.8 kg/m2 (24.5 to 30.1 kg/m2). Early mortality and stroke were on average 0.6% (range 0% to 2.0%) and 0.4% (range 0% to 1.3%), respectively. The average number of grafts was 2.8 (range 2.1 to 3.7). The average length of hospital stay was 5.6 days (range 3.1 to 9.3 days).

CONCLUSIONS

MICS CABG appears to be a safe method in well-selected patients with multivessel CAD. This approach is concentrated at dedicated centers, and there is no widespread application, although it has potential to be widely applicable as an alternative for surgical revascularization. However, large randomized controlled studies with longer follow-up are still required to compare the outcomes with conventional CABG and other revascularization strategies.

Risk factors associated with surgical site infections in patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Surgical site infections (SSIs) following cardiothoracic surgery can pose significant challenges to patient recovery and outcome. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to identify and quantify the risk factors associated with SSIs in patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery. A comprehensive literature search adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and based on the PICO paradigm was conducted across four databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library, without any temporal restrictions. The meta-analysis incorporated studies detailing the risk factors for post-operative sternal infections, especially those reporting odds ratios (OR) or relative risks with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Quality assessment of the studies was done using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Statistical analysis was executed using the chi-square tests for inter-study heterogeneity, with further analyses depending on I2 values. Sensitivity analyses were performed, and potential publication bias was also assessed. An initial dataset of 2442 articles was refined to 21 articles after thorough evaluations based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients with diabetes mellitus have an OR of 1.80 (95% CI: 1.40-2.20) for the incidence of SSIs, while obese patients demonstrate an OR of 1.63 (95% CI: 1.40-1.87). Individuals who undergo intraoperative blood transfusion present an OR of 1.13 (95% CI: 1.07-1.18), and smokers manifest an OR of 1.32 (95% CI: 1.03-1.60). These findings unequivocally indicate a pronounced association between these factors and an elevated risk of SSIs post-operatively. This meta-analysis confirms that diabetes, obesity, intraoperative transfusion and smoking heighten the risk of SSIs post-cardiac surgery. Clinicians should be alert to these factors to optimise patient outcomes.

Left Internal Thoracic Artery versus Saphenous Vein Grafts to Left Anterior Descending Artery after Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

BACKGROUND

This study compared perioperative outcomes and long-term survival of saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) versus left internal thoracic artery (LITA) to left anterior descending artery (LAD) in isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).

METHODS

In this retrospective, single-centre study, we included patients with primary isolated CABG from January 2001 to July 2022. Baseline demographics were compared between SVG-LAD and LITA-LAD. Univariable and multivariable regressions were performed for predictors of in-hospital death. Propensity score matching was performed for LITA-LAD vs. SVG-LAD. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated for comparison of survival. Cox proportional hazards model was used for predictors of survival.

RESULTS

A total of 8237 patients (1602 SVG-LAD/6725 LITA-LAD) were included. Median age was 67.9 years (LITA-LAD; 67.1 years vs. SVG-LAD; 71.7 years, p < 0.01). A total of 1270 pairs of SVG-LAD were propensity-matched to LITA-LAD. In matched cohorts, in-hospital mortality (0.8% vs. 1.6%, LITA-LAD and SVG-LAD respectively; p = 0.07), deep sternal wound infection, new cerebrovascular events, renal replacement therapy and hospital stay >30 days were similar. SVG-LAD did not adversely affect in-hospital mortality (OR; 2.03, CI; 0.91, 4.54, p = 0.08). Median long-term survival was similar between the groups (13.7 years vs. 13.1 years for LITA-LAD and SVG-LAD respectively, log rank p < 0.31). SVG-LAD was not a predictor of adverse long-term survival. (HR; 1.06, 95% CI; 0.92, 1.22, p < 0.40). Long-term survival was better with LITA-LAD for LVEF <30% (log rank p < 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

There was no difference in the propensity-matched cohorts for use of SVG vs. LITA to the LAD. Further contemporary long-term studies are needed for substantiation.