On-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

CABG surgery is performed by taking a small part of a blood vessel from another part of the body, usually a vein from the leg, for use as the graft vessel. In the majority of CABG procedures performed in the United States, the patient’s heart is stopped temporarily while surgeons use a continuous thread and hand sew vessels together to bypass the blockages. During this procedure, a mechanical cardiopulmonary bypass machine keeps the blood circulating through the body. The blood is rerouted through the healthy vessel and blood flow is restored to the heart muscle.

During traditional CABG procedures, the C-Port^® Distal Anastomosis Systems:

• Create compliant anastomoses, which can expand and contract with blood flow;
• Reduce time required for anastomosis and is complete in two minutes;
• Produce consistent, reproducible anastomoses, largely independent of surgical technique and skill set;
• Avoid interruption of blood flow while the anastomosis is being completed;
• Work on coronary arteries as small as 1 millimeter in internal diameter;
• Allow mechanically governed repeatability and reduced procedural complexity;
• Work with grafts of various diameters and wall thicknesses less than 1.4 millimeters;
• Minimize scarring and potential occlusion of the anastomosis by achieving nearly complete alignment of the natural blood lining surfaces of the coronary artery and the graft; and
• Reload for multiple firings with one handle.

In addition, Cardica’s automated products allow surgeons to use a much larger range of veins and arteries from very small diameter vessels to larger veins. A recent study confirmed that more than 95 percent of graft vessels connected using the C-Port device remain open during a six to 20 month period.