The heart string: a simple, inexpensive exposure of the heart during coronary artery operations.

A method of heart retraction during coronary artery bypass operations is described. The technique improves exposure of the coronary arteries, especially of the circumflex and posterior descending coronary branches during grafting. In addition, it is simple, safe, and inexpensive. Furthermore, this technique can be applied for off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.