Another Study Casts Doubt Over Off-Pump CABG Benefits

21 Aug 2017

Five-year mortality and major morbidity results from a large randomized trial run by the Veterans Affairs found no advantages to so-called off-pump "beating heart" coronary bypass graft surgery over traditional on-pump bypass surgery in which the patient is supported by a cardiopulmonary bypass machine.

coronary artery bypass grafting — Coronary artery bypass graft surgery • Source: shutterstock.com

Off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) conferred no benefits to patients over CABG on patients supported by a cardiopulmonary bypass machine in the Randomized On/Off Bypass Follow-Up Extension (ROOBY-FS) trial, offering more proof that the once-promising off-pump surgery technologies will be confined to a niche market at most and not supplant the on-pump technique for most indications.

The five-year results of the 2,203-patient, 18-center randomized trial, led by Laurie Shroyer of the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center...