Hybrid coronary artery bypass grafting.

Owing to the high prevalence of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, treatment has proceeded along three separate paths: medical, surgical, and percutaneous intervention. Medical treatment is now routinely combined with both surgical treatment and percutaneous methods; however, the surgical and percutaneous routes are often viewed as in competition. Hybrid coronary revascularization, also called robotic assisted integrated coronary revascularization (RAICER), is a way of combining these two approaches. Whether any hybrid procedure will prove beneficial to patients remains unproven; however, RAICER has promise for reducing short-term complications while providing excellent and enduring treatment for coronary artery disease. Much work remains to be done on the benefits of hybrid revascularization in comparison with conventional bypass surgery or percutaneous coronary procedures.