Response to Letter Regarding Article, “Off-Pump Versus On-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: Differences in Short-Term Outcomes and in Long-Term Mortality and Need for Subsequent Revascularization”

Abstract

To the Editor: We read with great interest the recent report by Hannan et al1 on the short-term benefits of off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery compared with the standard on-pump approach on in-hospital/30-day mortality and perioperative complication rates. The 3-year follow-up proved comparable outcomes, excluding a lower rate of freedom from revascularization for the off-pump surgery group. The topic is certainly extremely interesting, especially nowadays, when less invasive approaches, such as off-pump coronary surgery and percutaneous coronary interventions, are acquiring dominant roles in the treatment of ischemic heart disease.2 However, we believe that this …