A Comparison of Outcomes of Minimal Invasive CABG vs Routine Sternotomy CABG

Background: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery via sternotomy remains the standard of care for patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). Minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS)-CABG via left anterior thoracotomy has been used as an alternative to sternotomy. Although MICS CABG is not new technique, its employed by very few surgeons. The aim of our study was to assess the early and late post operative outcomes in both groups. Material and Methods: Patients who underwent either MICS CABG or routine sternotomy CABG between August 2022 and July 2023 were reviewed. We excluded the patients with an ejection fraction of less than 30%, those who had had previous cardiac surgery and concomitant valve replacement.Results: 92 patients of MICS and 98 patients of routine sternotomy were selected for study and follow up was done for one year. Demographic characteristics in both groups were similar. Difference between duration of surgery was statistically significant. In early and late post-operative outcome , duration of mechanical ventilation and total hospital stay was significantly less in MICS group. Myocardial infarction, heart failure, reintervention and death were similar in both groups.Conclusion: MICS CABG can be performed safely in appropriately selected patients with outcomes comparable with routine sternotomy CABG. The potential benefits include shorter hospital stay and fast recovery.

Keywords: Minimal invasive CABG, routine CABG, MICS, sternotomy.