“No-Touch” CABG Minimizes Stroke Risk

Allows bypass surgery to be performed safely on patients at increased risk for stroke, including those with significant calcium in their aorta.

Published: May 27, 2025

Screen Shot 2025-05-04 at 10.43.41 AM — © Monkey Business Images | Getty Images High-risk patients with complex coronary artery disease may be turned down for CABG due to high risk of stroke from the procedure. By allowing the surgery to be done off pump, no-touch CABG significantly reduces this risk.

Fear of causing stroke may no longer be a valid reason for excluding a patient from undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). A technique known as “no-touch” CABG is being used to make CABG safer for patients with prior stroke, those with significant calcium in their ascending aorta (the area of aorta near the heart) and those whose ascending aorta is lined with calcium—a condition called “porcelain aorta” for its appearance on x-rays and scans.