Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass on the Beating Heart in Jehovah's Witness and HIV Patients: Case Report

Abstract

Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass has been widely employed as an approach for revascularization of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Recent advances in minimally invasive cardiac surgery enhanced with technological assistance have meant that these operations are now being performed through smaller incisions. We present 2 cases, both of which emphasize the beneficial role of the DaVinci robotic system in performing bloodless coronary surgery without blood transfusion and in reducing blood contact in instances in which there is a high risk for infection. In the first case, a Jehovah's Witness patient, blood transfusion was not an option; in the second case, a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patient, blood contact would have put the staff at risk for HIV infection.