Right Gastroepiploic Artery in Reoperative OPCAB—Three Decades of Evolution

In October of 1994, the authors started using the right gastroepiploic artery (GEA) in redo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) without the use of the extracorporeal circulation.  This was, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the first ever case worldwide (1). 

The first part of this video shows this historical operation using a resternotomy. 

The second part of the video shows the modified technique that the authors have adopted since 1999, using a transabdominal approach avoiding resternotomy (2). 

References

1. Tavilla G, Pijls NH. Right gastroepiploic artery for coronary bypass reoperation without cardiopulmonary bypass. J Cardiovasc Surg (Torino). 1997;38:77-80.

2. Tavilla G, Bruggemans EF Avoiding sternotomy in repeat coronary artery bypass grafting: Feasibility, safety, and mid-term outcome of the transabdominal off-pump technique using the right gastroepiploic artery. .J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2012;144:124-9.