Multivessel distal sutureless off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting procedure using magnetic connectors

Magnetic connectors for coronary surgery: What do we know a decade later?

“…The MVP device is such a novel connector that uses magnetic attraction to form an instantaneous self-aligning, self-sealing side-to-side connection between the graft and the coronary (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). The feasibility, safety and efficacy of this new magnet-based anastomotic technique have been demonstrated initially in a non-atherosclerotic pig model (2).…”

“…In 2001, the Magnetic Vascular Positioner (MVP) System (Ventrica, Inc, Fremont, CA, USA), intended to create an instant sutureless sideto-side anastomosis between a bypass graft and coronary artery by means of magnetic vascular coupling, was brought forward to its first worldwide clinical application in humans in Germany (3). Despite further encouraging early experience from other European centers with this technique a broader adoption of such sutureless MVP scenarios has been limited (4,5). At the beginning of 2005 the manufacturer voluntarily discontinued the production and sale of the MVP device, possibly due to high cost of the device and less favorable mid-term results reported (6,7).…”

A New Needle Driver for Minientry Coronary Artery Bypass

“…A number of innovative tools are currently available to facilitate coronary artery anastomosis. The one-touch coronary anastomosis technique using a mechanical or magnetic connecter and the self-closing clip method have been used as alternatives to the standard suturing technique [Wolf 2003, Carrel 2004, Casselman 2004. Although application of these new devices is limited to good-sized, noncalcified coronary arteries, and the long-term patency is unknown, these novel methods are promising and might facilitate minientry or port-access coronary anastomosis.…”

Robotic cardiac surgery

“…New concept applications, such as ventricular septal defect closure, are in experimental development (35). As technological advances, such as even more streamlined instrumentation, tactile feedback (36) and rapid deployment sutureless connectors (37,38) become widely available and applicable, newer and even more complex procedures will undoubtedly be envisioned and developed.…”