New Intraluminal Coronary Shunt Tube for Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Purpose In cooperation with JMS Co., Ltd. (Hiroshima, Japan), we have developed a new intraluminal coronary shunt tube to allow easier, safer, and more accurate off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG). Description Between September 2000 and July 2002, the new shunt tube was used in 100 consecutive patients undergoing OPCABG. Patient characteristics, experimental data, and clinical results for our new shunt tube are provided. Evaluation Our new coronary shunt tube was easily implanted in nearly all (97.2%) target vessels during reconstructions. All 100 cases were performed completely during off-pump operation. Early postoperative coronary angiography was performed in all 100 cases, demonstrating excellent patency in arterial grafts (99.5%) and venous grafts (96.2%). The shunt tube displayed good flow rates under experimental conditions according to diameter, and effectively prevented ischemia during coronary arterial reconstructions in all cases. No target vessels were injured on insertion or removal of shunt tubes. Neither perioperative complications nor hospital deaths were encountered. Conclusions This new shunt tube improves the safety, accuracy, and ease of OPCABG surgery.