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Dr. Eric A. Rose provides "Perspective" on Off-Pump Coronary-Artery Bypass Surgery in New England Journal of Medicine

Deployed Stabilization Device for Off-Pump Coronary-Artery Bypass Surgery. The arms of the device are positioned on the epicardium, adjacent to the vessel intended for construction of the distal anastomosis, and dampen motion at the operative site when local suction or compression is applied.

In a "Perspective" article published in the January 30, 2003 issue of New England Journal of Medicine, Eric A. Rose, MD, Chairman, Columbia University Department of Surgery, assesses results of a study about the "OP-CAB" procedure. The article is entitled, "Are There Advantages to Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery?"

In this article, Dr. Rose assesses data from a study showing "the potential clinical value of the off-pump surgical approach in low-risk patients." He notes the failure of data from this study to establish the procedure's "material superiority over conventional surgery."

Eric A. Rose, MD, FACS Chairman, Department of Surgery

In concluding, Dr. Rose says, "In the future, randomized trials and outcome data from large registries will make it possible to explore the potential risks and benefits in the latter, substantially larger cohort of surgical patients. Until such data are available, we will not know whether off-pump bypass surgery is a step forward, backward, or sideways."