Coronary bypass grafting for single-vessel coronary artery disease: a 17-year review with short- and long-term follow-up

Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery: Impact on Resource Usage, Costs, Length of Stay, and Return to Function

"Minimally invasive" approaches to coronary artery surgery include a number of procedures, most of which avoid the use of extracorporeal circulation. Economic considerations have contributed to the rising interest in these techniques. This article reviews current literature and potential ways in which these procedures may reduce overall costs. Several studies have reported decreased mean length of stay and overall hospital costs in patients undergoing off-bypass or "beating heart" procedures. Most of these studies have included small numbers of patients and have lacked long-term follow-up data. Prospective randomized trials are needed to conclusively establish these early findings. Copyright© 1999 by W. B. Saunders Company.