Type of Surgery

Information

Doctor Certified

Last updated: 11/24/2009

Diagnosis/Preparation

An electrocardiogram detects the presence of acute coronary blockage (occlusion). A history of myocardial infarction can also be detected by electrocardiogram. Patients with a history of angina also are evaluated for coronary artery disease. Coronary...

angiography provides the best diagnostic information about the extent and location of the coronary artery disease.


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This narrated animation shows what happens in a myocardial infarction or heart attack. It shows how a blockage of a coronary artery causes a heart attack, leads to heart damage, and may lead to arrhythmias (abnormal electrical activity of the heart).

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In traditional open heart surgery, a large incision is made in the chest, and the sternum must be broken (A). Minimally invasive surgery uses a much smaller incision between the ribs to access the heart (B). (Illustration by GGS Inc.) In traditional open heart surgery, a large incision is made in the chest, and the sternum must be broken (A). Minimally invasive surgery uses a much smaller incision between the ribs to access the heart (B). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)




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Other Information

Minimally invasive coronary artery surgery is also called limited access coronary artery surgery. It's being evaluated in several medical centers as an alternative to the standard methods for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Like CABG, the surgery is done to reroute, or "bypass," blood around coronary arteries that are clogged by fatty buildups of plaque to improve the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart.


From http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4702

Other Information

From 1979–2005, the total number of inpatient cardiovascular operations and procedures increased 484 percent to 6,989,000 annually. (AHA computation.)


From: AHA computation

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