Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: which is better in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

To evaluate the clinic outcome of off-pump coronary bypass grafting (OPCABG) of patients with coronary heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, we collected and analyzed 1998-2002 data on 28 patients with these two diseases who had received off-pump coronary bypass operation in our hospital, and compared with data on those who also had the same two diseases but received on-pump coronary artery bypass at same time. There were no operation-related death; one died of respiratory failure 14 days after operation while staying in hospital; there were more respiratory complications in the conventional coronary artery bypass grafting group (CCABG) than in the OPCABG group; and the PaO2/FiO2 in the CCABG group was higher than that in the OPCABG group during operation because of CPB, but lower than that in the OPCABG group 6-12 hours after operation. OPCABG seemed more suitable than CCABG for coronary artery disease patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to less damage to their oxygen-exchange capability and the fewer respiratory complications.