Bypass surgery techniques
Bypass surgery techniques
Study: Heart Bypass Surgery Without Heart-Lung Machine Is Safe, Effective, and Cheaper
April 20, 2004 -- Keeping the heart beating and not using a heart-lung machine during heart bypass surgery is just as safe and effective as conventional bypass surgery but costs much less, according to a new study.
During coronary artery bypass surgery, the surgeon takes a small piece of a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body and uses it to bypass a clogged or narrowed heart artery. During the procedure, a heart-lung machine is used to help maintain blood flow to the body. But this technique can lead to complications.
To reduce the complications associated with heart bypass surgery, researchers say 21% of coronary artery bypasses were performed "off-pump" or without a heart-lung machine in 2002. But concerns over the safety of keeping the heart beating during complex heart bypass operations have been raised, and until now few large studies have dealt with these issues.
In this study, published in the April 21 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers compared the safety, effectiveness, and cost of off-pump coronary artery bypass vs. conventional coronary artery bypass procedures in nearly 200 adults.
The study showed that patients who had the off-pump procedure had similar outcomes and health-related quality of life one year after the surgery compared to those who had conventional heart bypass surgery, but the costs associated with the off-pump bypasses were much less.
Researchers found rates of death, stroke, heart attack, angina (chest pain), and repeat surgery were similar between the two groups both 30 days and one year after the procedure.
"There were now significant differences in health-related quality of life," write researcher John D. Puskas, MD, MSc, of Emory University School of Medicine, and colleagues. "Mean total hospitalization cost per patient at hospital discharge was $2,272 for [off-pump] and $1,955 less at one year."
Researchers say those results suggest that off-pump heart bypass may be a cost-effective alternative to conventional bypass.
In an editorial that accompanies the study, Eric D. Peterson, MD, MPH, and Daniel B. Mark, MD, MPH, of Duke University Medical Center, say that "in the right hands and for the right patients" off-pump bypass is safe, complete, effective, and may reduce complications compared with conventional methods.
Off-Pump Bypass as Good as Conventional
Study: Heart Bypass Surgery Without Heart-Lung Machine Is Safe, Effective, and Cheaper
April 20, 2004 -- Keeping the heart beating and not using a heart-lung machine during heart bypass surgery is just as safe and effective as conventional bypass surgery but costs much less, according to a new study.
During coronary artery bypass surgery, the surgeon takes a small piece of a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body and uses it to bypass a clogged or narrowed heart artery. During the procedure, a heart-lung machine is used to help maintain blood flow to the body. But this technique can lead to complications.
To reduce the complications associated with heart bypass surgery, researchers say 21% of coronary artery bypasses were performed "off-pump" or without a heart-lung machine in 2002. But concerns over the safety of keeping the heart beating during complex heart bypass operations have been raised, and until now few large studies have dealt with these issues.
Off-Pump Bypass Surgery Safe and Cost-Effective
In this study, published in the April 21 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers compared the safety, effectiveness, and cost of off-pump coronary artery bypass vs. conventional coronary artery bypass procedures in nearly 200 adults.
The study showed that patients who had the off-pump procedure had similar outcomes and health-related quality of life one year after the surgery compared to those who had conventional heart bypass surgery, but the costs associated with the off-pump bypasses were much less.
Researchers found rates of death, stroke, heart attack, angina (chest pain), and repeat surgery were similar between the two groups both 30 days and one year after the procedure.
"There were now significant differences in health-related quality of life," write researcher John D. Puskas, MD, MSc, of Emory University School of Medicine, and colleagues. "Mean total hospitalization cost per patient at hospital discharge was $2,272 for [off-pump] and $1,955 less at one year."
Researchers say those results suggest that off-pump heart bypass may be a cost-effective alternative to conventional bypass.
In an editorial that accompanies the study, Eric D. Peterson, MD, MPH, and Daniel B. Mark, MD, MPH, of Duke University Medical Center, say that "in the right hands and for the right patients" off-pump bypass is safe, complete, effective, and may reduce complications compared with conventional methods.
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