ABSTRACT 91

THE PHYSIOLOGIC CONSEQUENCES OF CORONARY SHUNTING IN A MINIMALLY INVASIVE CABG MODEL

Malachi Sheahan MD, St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center of New York, New York, NY;  Kamal Khabbaz MD, Constantine Spanos MD, Masaaki Takeuchi MD,  Raymond Connolly PhD, Kenneth Warner MD; New England Medical Center, Boston, MA

Objective:  Our aim was to assess the level of metabolic protection afforded to the myocardium with the placement of an intracoronary shunt. 

Methods:  Twenty-one mongrel dogs underwent a median sternotomy.  In Group O (n=7), the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was occluded.  In GroupS  (n=7), a 1.5mm intraluminal shunt (Bio-Vascular, Inc.) was placed in the LAD.  In Group C (n=7), a critical stenosis was created with a 1.7mm umbilical catheter with the shunt placed distally.  Myocardial pH and LAD flow were continuously recorded for 30 minutes.  Finally, myocardial contrast echocardiography with transvenous perflourocarbon was performed.

Results:

Conclusions:  These data demonstrate that the use of an LAD shunt, regardless of the presence of a stenosis, resulted in improved flow, myocardial pH and myocardial perfusion when compared with the occlusion group.