Surgery Notes

What is open heart surgery?
Heart surgery performed to correct heart problems. More than half a million heart surgeries are performed each year in the United States due to different heart problems. Heart surgery is used to correct heart problems in children and adults. This article focuses on adult surgery. For more information on pediatric surgery, refer to table of disorders and diseases for birth defects, holes in the heart and tetralogy of Fallot.

Preview
The most common type of surgery in adults is the Bypass Coronary Artery Graft (CABG). During CABG, surgeons use healthy arteries or veins caught from other parts of the body to bypass (ie redirect) blocked arteries. CABG relieves chest pain and reduce the risk of heart attack.

Cardiac surgery is also performed to:
• Repair or replace the valves that control blood flow through the heart.
• Repair damaged or defective cardiac structures.
• Implement medical devices that regulate heart rate or blood flow.
• Replace a damaged heart for a healthy heart from a donor (heart transplant).

The traditional heart surgery, often known as “open heart surgery” is performed by opening the chest wall to work on the heart. Almost always opens the patient’s chest by cutting the ribs of the chest. Once the heart is visible, the patient is connected to a heart-lung machine that performs the functions of the heart and lungs. The machine replaces the pumping action of the heart, which allows surgeons to work with a stopped heart.

In recent years we have developed new forms of cardiac surgery. One of them is called “off-pump” or beating heart. It’s like the traditional open-heart surgery but not the machine is used to support heart and lungs.

Minimally invasive surgery uses smaller incisions than traditional open heart surgery. Some types of minimally invasive surgery using the machine for assistance and others do not. These new methods reduce risks and speed recovery. Studies are underway to compare these new types of cardiac surgery with the traditional technique. The results of these studies will help doctors decide the best procedure for each patient.

Perspectives
The results of cardiac surgery in adults are usually excellent. In people with very serious heart surgery can reduce symptoms, improve quality of life and increase life expectancy.

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