The number of off-pump coronary artery surgery procedures in high-risk patients such as renal failure, hepatic failure and in anticoagulant drug using patients is increasing. The associated co morbidity and repeated use of electrocautery in postoperative bleeding, caused a susceptibility of patients to pressure or electrocautery ulcers. During a period of three years, 1400 off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery were performed in our center. Of these patients, 20 (A group) suffered from electrocautery sore (ES) and 40 (B group) had pressure sore (PS). These patients were compared with respect to variables such as age, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, operating time, smoking, opium using, diabetes, weight, sex, respiratory failure, renal failure, and cerebrovascular accident, intra aortic balloon pump using, inotropic drug using by x2 or t test, according to categorical or continuous variables consequently. Electrocautery sore and pressure ulcer as dependence variables and others variables with p value less than 0.1 entered a multivariable logistic regression model and odd ratio of significant variables were obtained. These two groups of patients were different with respect to variables such as age, sex, respiratory failure and cerebrovascular accident and, in the logistic regression model, two factors predicted pressure sore, respiratory failure and cerebrovascular accident, but the only factor that was significant in predicting electrocautery sore in multiple logistic regression analysis was postoperative bleeding. Results of this study revealed that pressure sore is a patient dependent complication in contrast with the electrocautery sore, which is related to technical or device faults and to experience and care of operating room staff.

Abbreviations: electrocautery sore = ES, pressure sore = PS, electrocautery ulcer = EU, pressure ulcer = PU, activated clotting time = ACT