On-Pump and Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG or bypass surgery) is a form of surgery to revascularize or bypass the 'blocks' in patients with severe coronary artery disease. It can be performed with or without stopping the heart and resorting to cardiopulmonary bypass- On-Pump or Off-Pump. Of the two, on-pump CABG is the oldest and time-honored method. Advances in technology allow on-pump CABG to be performed with very low mortality and morbidity and with excellent results. It is still the most widely used technique. Off-pump CABG is a newer technique with the proposed benefit of lower complication rates. It is a highly specialized technique that has good results in the hands of surgeons who perform this surgery regularly. The choice of procedure should depend on the comfort level of the surgeon performing the procedure on a particular patient because the 2 procedures seem equally effective.

This article from the leading Cardiology journal circulation reviews both forms of CABG from the patient's perspective.

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