Sutureless Techniques Speed Bypass Surgery

Two new sutureless techniques allow faster, simpler, and more-exact connections of blood vessels during bypass surgery and may prove especially useful during minimally invasive bypass surgery on the beating heart. The techniques were presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2001 conference in Anaheim (CA, USA).

One technique employs a stainless steel device with an expandable clip that balloons out to connect the bypass vessel to the coronary artery. External hooks hold the vein graft in place, while internal hooks secure the inside of the artery. Using this technique, doctors were able to connect vessels in less than two minutes, compared to five to seven minutes with traditional hand stitching. A study of 13 patients showed reduced operating time and shorter time on a heart-lung machine. The technique was presented by Friedrich Stefan Eckstein, M.D., a cardiovascular surgeon at University Hospital in Berne (Switzerland).

The second technique employs a mechanical device that uses an adhesive material to connect and seal blood vessels in coronary artery bypass surgery. The technique was tested on pigs undergoing experimental coronary artery bypass surgery. Thirty-five days later, the blood vessels were still fully sealed with excellent blood flow through them. This technique was presented by Marc P. Buijsrogge, M.D., a research fellow at the Heart Lung Center at University Medical Center in Utrecht (The Netherlands).

"This is a fast and very easy way to connect heart vessels, and therefore an attractive alternative to the current sewing technique,” said Dr. Marc. He added that further refinements would be required before the technique could be used on human patients.




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American Heart Ass'n