Safety and efficacy of one stage off-pump coronary artery operation and carotid endarterectomy

Background. Patients with concomitant occlusive disease of coronary and carotid arteries remain at high risk of perioperative stroke and myocardial infarction. Combined coronary artery bypass grafting on cardiopulmonary bypass and carotid endarterectomy has been shown to give good results for this category of patients. In the present study, we analyzed our results of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and carotid endarterectomy as a one-stage procedure. Methods. Between January 1997 and December 2000, 82 patients underwent combined off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and carotid endarterectomy. All patients were evaluated by preoperative carotid duplex scanning and carotid angiography. All patients had more than or equal to 70% carotid artery stenosis. There were 35 asymptomatic patients (42.7%) and 47 symptomatic patients (57.3%). Carotid endarterectomy was performed before coronary artery bypass grafting in all the patients. Results. There were 66 males (80.5%) and 16 females (19.5%) with a mean age of 63 ± 8 years. The average number of grafts was 3.4 ± 0.8. There was no hospital mortality. One patient had perioperative myocardial infarction. None of the patients had stroke. One patient had transient neurologic deficit and 1 patient had temporary 12th nerve dysfunction; both recovered completely. There was no incidence of neck wound infection, although 1 patient developed neck hematoma that required reexploration. At a mean follow-up of 2.2 ± 0.7 years, 1 patient required contralateral carotid endarterectomy and 1 patient died because of cardiac failure. Conclusions. Combined off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and carotid endarterectomy is a safe and effective procedure in patients with significant concomitant carotid and coronary artery disease.