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Abstract

Methods and devices for revascularization of a patient's coronary artery system which obviate the need to place the patient on cardiopulmonary bypass. A method is provided for revascularizing a patient while the-heart is beating, and includes performing at least one minimally invasive coronary artery bypass graft procedure, or other cardiac surgical procedure, and contemporaneously performing at least one catheter-based procedure in at least one coronary artery. The catheter-based procedure(s) may be either therapeutic or diagnostic or both, and may involve delivering at least one catheter to a coronary artery via a surgical or percutaneous opening in the thoracic cavity or via a percutaneous opening at a location peripheral to the thoracic cavity. The catheter-based procedure or procedures is performed contemporaneously with the bypass graft procedure, and specifically prior to, during, or after anesthetizing the patient for purposes of the bypass graft procedure. An arterial access device is also provided for central cannulation and direct intraoperative catheterization of a patient's coronary artery system on a beating heart. The device includes a tubular member, such as a cannula, having a proximal end and a distal end, and an elongated puncturing member, such as a trocar, which is slideably disposed within the tubular member. The puncturing member has a sharp distal end for puncturing through the wall of a coronary lumen. The arterial access device further includes a sealing member for engaging the coronary lumen wall at the puncture site in order to minimize the leakage of blood from the puncture site.

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