Minimally Invasive Bypass in Obese Patients: Beyond Cosmesis

10.1055/a-2668-4842

We would like to congratulate the authors for their important work on minimally invasive cardiac surgery - coronary artery bypass graft (MICS-CABG) in obese patients.[1] Based on our own experience with minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass, we would like to emphasize that the value of this technique extends beyond cosmetic considerations or patient preference.

In our extremely obese patients (body mass index >35 kg/m²), the use of a minimally invasive approach provided a particular advantage: Protection against median sternotomy dehiscence, a complication that is relatively frequent and severe in obese individuals. Avoiding full sternotomy in this high-risk subgroup may, therefore, represent not only a technical refinement but also an important preventive strategy against a potentially life-threatening complication.

We commend the authors for highlighting the safety and feasibility of this approach and believe that further studies focusing on this specific benefit in obese and extremely obese patients would be of great clinical interest.

Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 11. September 2025

Angenommen: 20. September 2025

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
03. Oktober 2025

• References

• 1 Gadelkarim I, Shaqu R, Kang J. et al. Minimally invasive total arterial bypass grafting via left mini-thoracotomy in obese patients. Thorac Cardiovasc Surg (e-pub ahead of print).