Maryland Heart Center

Minimally Invasive Coronary Bypass Surgery

Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass (MIDCAB)

For the appropriate candidates, the Maryland Heart Center offers a minimally invasive surgical approach to treating blockages in the coronary arteries, known as minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass, or MIDCAB.

What is MIDCAB?
What are other advantages this approach offers to patients?
Who are good candidates for this procedure?
How long is the typical hospital stay compared to open heart surgery?
Are many cardiac surgeons performing this procedure?
Whom do I contact for more information?

What is MIDCAB?

In contrast to open-heart bypass surgery, where the chest is cut open at the sternum to gain access to the heart, the surgeon creates a tiny, two-and-a-half inch opening between two ribs in the left side of the chest. The surgeon then harvests the internal mammary artery from the chest. This is done directly or with the use of the da Vinci robotic system. The surgeon then sutures the internal mammary artery to the coronary arteries through this keyhole-size opening. This suturing is performed while the heart is still beating.

This operation is chosen if use of the heart-lung machine is regarded as too risky. This may be the case in patients with additional diseases like chronic pulmonary disease, peripheral vascular disease and renal failure.

What are other advantages this approach offers to patients?

This approach offers many advantages to patients, including:

Quicker recovery times
Decreased need for blood transfusion
No manipulation of the ascending aorta that could cause neurologic injury

Who are good candidates for this procedure?

The MIDCAB procedure can be used on patients who have blockages that are accessible to bypass through a small incision in the left chest. This depends on the pattern of blockages present in the coronary arteries that are seen in the angiogram, which is performed prior to being referred for surgery. If the blockages are present only on the vessels on the left side of the heart, then most likely the patient is a candidate.

The MIDCAB procedure can be combined with catheter based intervention on the coronary arteries in the hybrid procedure. This procedure involves stenting these right-sided blockages at the same time as the surgical bypass.

How long is the typical hospital stay compared to open heart surgery?

In our experience, the average length of stay is reduced by two days for the MIDCAB procedure.

Are many cardiac surgeons performing this procedure?

Because this procedure requires specialized skills, it is only performed by a few cardiac surgeons around the country, including surgeons at the Maryland Heart Center. The availability of robotic technology at our institution facilitates this technically challenging operation.

Whom do I contact for more information?

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 410-328-9169.

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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.