Surgical Coronary Revascularization Using an Off-Pump, No-Touch Technique: The Cyclone (Hexalon) Experience

Abstract

The Cyclone^TM System (Castlewood Surgical, Inc., Concord, MA) is a novel device that facilitates the attachment of the saphenous vein onto the ascending aorta for the purpose of creating a bypass graft during a coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) operation. It allows the surgeon to perform a hand-sewn anastomosis with no disruption of the intima of the aorta, and no need for partial clamping. During a 36-month period 109 CABG operations were performed, and the Cyclone^TM System (and its predecessor, the Hexalon^TM) was utilized to create 138 proximal anastomoses. This study demonstrates that this is a safe and effective method of creating a clampless, no-touch proximal anastomoses during off-pump CABG.