OBJECTIVETo evaluate the early and medium-term curative effect of water sac blocking used in the proximal anastomosis during off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) in the patients with serious calcified ascending aorta.

METHODSThirty-one patients with serious calcified ascending aorta who underwent OPCAB were enrolled in this study from January 2005 to May 2009 as experimental group in which the water sac blocking was used in the proximal anastomosis during OPCAB. There were 23 male and 8 female patients with the age of (69±8) years. Sixty-three patients without calcified ascending aorta who underwent OPCAB at the corresponding period were selected randomly as control group in which lateral-mural clamp on ascending aorta was used in the proximal anastomosis during OPCAB. There were 39 male and 24 female patients with the age of (60±9) years. Preoperative and postoperative heart functional indexes were compared in 3 months and the short and the mid-term outcomes were followed up.

RESULTSNo deaths happened in the two groups. Postoperative incidence rate of cerebral stroke in control group was relatively higher than experimental group, but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). All the patients had no symptoms 3 months after operation. Heart function and ejection fraction were increased significantly (P<0.05), meanwhile left ventricular end-diastolic diameter were decreased notably (P<0.05). The follow-up rate was 91.5% and the survival rate was 96.0% and left ventricular function decreased slightly (P<0.05) up to the end of November 2009. Seven patients more than two years after operation received coronary angiography which showed proximal anastomotic stoma was patent.

CONCLUSIONFor patients with serious calcified ascending aorta, the short and medium-term result of water sac blocking used in proximal anastomosis was simple, effective and safe.