Off-pump coronary bypass via left thoracotomy resulting from sternoclavicular arthritis.

We report a case of coronary artery bypass grafting through the left thoracotomy in a patient who suffered from sternoclavicular joint infection with methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus. We performed off-pump coronary bypass surgery, using the left internal thoracic artery to the left anterior descending coronary artery and a saphenous vein graft from the aorta to the circumflex artery, with a successful outcome. This approach seems to be safe and effective for coronary bypass grafting in situations where median sternotomy is not favorable, as in the described patient.