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Maryland Heart Center

Minimally Invasive Coronary Bypass Surgery

Minimally Invasive Cardiac Bypass Program

We have a highly active minimally invasive cardiac bypass program, thanks to our surgeons' expertise in off-pump or "beating heart" bypass surgery. For appropriate candidates, we offer several minimally invasive surgical approaches to treating blockages in the coronary arteries with very small incisions. These include the robot-assisted minimally invasive bypass procedure, as well as minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass, or MIDCAB. Advantages of these approaches include a quicker recovery, decreased need for blood transfusion and reduced complications.

For most other patients, we offer off-pump bypass surgery. Although the traditional sternal incision is required, this approach is also considered minimally invasive because it eliminates the use of the heart-lung machine during coronary artery bypass surgery. With this procedure, the heart does not have to be stopped, as in a standard CABG procedure.

Currently, 60 to 80 percent of all coronary bypass procedures done at the Maryland Heart Center are performed off-pump, compared to just 15-25 percent nationally. With all of our cardiac surgeons participating in this minimally invasive program, we are able to safely offer surgical revascularization to extremely sick patients, including those with kidney failure, previous strokes, severe atherosclerosis, and the elderly. The off-pump technique is considered to be the safest, most effective procedure to treat high-risk patients.

In fact, University of Maryland cardiac surgeons have developed a decision-making algorithm, which they have found to be effective in choosing between the off-pump or on-pump approach. This study -- published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery -- shows that both methods can result in favorable outcomes.

In addition, our cardiac surgeons are now using a new technique that uses infrared light to determine the quality of the blood vessels used to create bypass grafts during coronary artery bypass surgery. Known as Optical Coherence Tomography, this novel imaging tool provides important feedback to the surgeon about the quality of the connection between the vein and the coronary artery.


Please call if you would like to make an appointment or talk to someone about our services. Patients dial 1-800-492-5538 or 410-328-5842, physicians dial 410-328-6622 or 1-800-318-1019.