Off-pump coronary bypass grafting: the new gold standard!

Excerpt

Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery is an evolution in the field of cardiac surgery which helped keep up with rapid technological advances in the field of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In spite of the cardiologist being the “gate keeper” for referring patients for PCI or surgery, preference for OPCAB has grown over on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (ONCAB). The advantages of OPCAB over ONCAB can be debated and the final verdict is yet to come [1]. In India OPCAB has become the preferred mode of revascularization in private health care system. This is because surgeons who are efficient in OPCAB often migrate to private hospitals for better compensation. Private hospitals use proficiency in OPCAB as one of the major criteria for selecting surgeons. The polarization is complete in private sector in favor of OPCAB. Cardiologists are the end result assessor of both procedures. In spite of the obvious conflict of interest, OPCAB remains the preferred mode of revascularization over both PCI and ONCAB. …