INTRODUCTION: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and Ascending Aorta manipulation (AAM) are associated with a high incidence of stroke in coronary surgery in patients older than 75 years. This complication is due, mostly, to the handling of the aorta by the time of the cross-clamping, either for heart isolation from CPB, or to perform saphenous vein graft anastomosis to the ascending Aorta. OBJECTIVES: To observe immediate and mid-term mortalities and occurrence of stroke in the immediate post-operative period in patients older than 75 years who underwent surgical revascularization of the Left Coronary Artery System (LCAS) without CPB and without AAM. METHOD: Between January 2000 and April 2002, 40 patients, with ages ranging from 75 to 89 years (average 79.1), underwent surgical revascularization of the LCAS, with Left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft to the Left Anterior Descending artery (LAD), and with Saphenous Vein Graft (SVG) originated from LIMA to one or more left coronary artery branches (composite graft), without CPB and without AAM. Male gender was predominant (67.5%). Eighty-nine arterial grafts were performed, with average of 2.22 per patient, of which 40 (44.94%) of LIMA and 49 (55.06%) of saphenous vein. The occurrence of stroke was evaluated by neurological and clinical exams. RESULT: It was not observed stroke or deaths in the immediate post-operative period. CONCLUSION: Surgical revascularization of the LCAS in patients older than 75 years without CPB and without AAM can be performed systematically in order to avoid occurrence of stroke, and so, reducing the mortality of the procedure.
Myocardial revascularization; Myocardial revascularization; Myocardial revascularization; Cardiopulmonary bypass
