Older heart bypass method receives researcher’s praise

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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 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.

"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.

Heart bypass is believed to be the most common surgery in the world — an estimated 253,000 Americans have the operation each year. Traditionally, the patient is hooked up to a heart-lung machine which takes over circulating blood while the heart is stopped. That "on-pump” method makes it easier for surgeons to attach new arteries or veins to detour around clogged arteries.

The research in today’s New England Journal of Medicine is the largest to compare the techniques. The study involved 2,203 patients at 18 Veterans Affairs medical centers.