Presentation of a quality management program in off-pump coronary bypass surgery.

Objective: To increase the number of off-pump coronary procedures at our institution, a new surgical team was formed. The first 3 years of "learning period" were accompanied by a quality management program aimed to control and adjust the surgical process and to ensure the safety and quality of the procedure.

Methods: All patients were operated on by the same surgeon between January 2004 and December 2006; all procedures were performed under the following quality management protocol.