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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2003;24:644-646
© 2003 Elsevier Science NL

How-to-do-it

Needle-guided mini-entry in video-assisted coronary artery bypass

^a Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Fuchu General Hospital, 2-9-2 Musashidai, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8524, Japan
^b University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Received 30 March 2003; accepted 16 May 2003.

^* Corresponding author. Tel.: +81-423-235111; fax: +81-423-239209
e-mail: ootsuka-cvs{at}fuchu-hp.fuchu.tokyo.jp

In minimally invasive coronary artery bypass (MICAB), a video-assisted needle-guided technique was used to make a mini-thoracotomy or an access-port just above the target site in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). After thoracoscopic preparation of the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) and pericardiotomy, a 7-cm, 23-gauge needle was used to examine the skin-point where the needle vertically penetrated the chest wall and thoracoscopically indicated the target site in the LAD. This point was used as the mid-point of the skin incision for a 6-cm thoracotomy (six cases) or a 33-mm access-port (four cases). Consequently, there was no conversion of approach except in the patient with pulmonary dysfunction, and each LITA–LAD anastomosis was completed directly through the mini-entry. There was no mortality and no procedure-related morbidity. Patency of each graft was confirmed within a week after surgery. After a mean follow-up period of 12.5±7.8 months, all of the patients except one, who died of stroke 1 year after surgery, are alive with no ischemic events. Although our experience is limited, the present video-assisted needle-guided technique can be a simple method to facilitate appropriate positioning of a mini-entry in MICAB to the LAD with a thoracoscopically prepared LITA graft.

Key Words: Minimally invasive coronary artery surgery • Mini-thoracotomy • Access-port • Video-assisted needle-guided technique

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