NEW YORK -- It seemed like a great idea - doing bypass surgery while the heart is still beating, sparing patients the complications that can come from going on a heart-lung machine. Now the first big test of this method has produced a surprise: Bypass has fewer problems and is more successful done the old way.
Most surprisingly, there were no signs of mental decline in those on the machines. Avoiding this problem was thought to be one of the benefits of so-called "off-pump" surgery.
"For the vast majority, there's no advantage to doing it off-pump, and there may be some disadvantages," said Dr. Frederick Grover of the University of Colorado Denver, one of the leaders of the study.
