Abstract: Objective To summarize the experience with emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (ECABG) for management
of acute coronary syndrome and analyze the mid-term follow-up results. Methods Forty-five ECABG surgeries were
performed in 34 male and 11 female patients (aged 65.6±5.8 years) for cardiogenic shock (5 cases), acute heart failure (6 cases)
and refractory unstable angina (34 cases). Twenty patients received the operation within one week after acute myocardial
infarction (AMI) and 18 were preoperatively supported by intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP). All patients had triple-vessel
disease and 15 had left main stenosis. Ten patients experienced two myocardial infarctions and 6 had chronic renal dysfunction
including two requiring hemodialysis. On-pump operations were performed in all cases with a mean CPB time of 104.2±29.7
min and cross clamping time of 69.0±21.3 min. Cold blood or HTK cardioplegia was used for myocardial protection. The left
internal mammary artery (LIMA) was routinely anastomosed to the left anterior descending artery (LAD), and the great
saphenous vein (GSV) to other target vessels. The mean number of grafts was 2.9±0.6. Results Forty-one patients were cured
and discharged and 4 patients died with an in-hospital mortality of 8.9%, including one associated with cardiac event (2.2%).
IABP was weaned off within 28.5±10.6 h after surgery except for one patient who died of multiple organ and system failure
(MOSF). Thirty-eight patients (92.7%) were followed up for a mean of 37.3±16.7 months, during which 2 patients died with a
mid-term survival rate of 94.7%. Thirty-five (92.1%) patients had New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I and II. The freedom
from cardiac event was 90.5%. Follow-up echocardiography showed significantly improved left ventricular dimension and
ejection fraction in these cases (P<0.05), and graft patency was 95.8% for the LIMA and 90.5% for the GSV. Conclusion Despite
a slight increase of the in-hospital mortality, ECABG can improve the mid-term survival, freedom from cardiac event, and
cardiac function when the indications and timing for surgery are well controlled with optimal perioperative management.