Type of Surgery

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Last updated: 11/24/2009

Normal results

Patency (openess) of the grafted vessels is expected to be the same as what is seen in traditional coronary artery bypass grafting. When compared to traditional coronary artery bypass grafting, minimally invasive heart surgery also is expected to result...

in a shorter hospital stay, less pain, fewer blood transfusions, and quicker return to normal activity.


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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

If you need heart surgery, you don't want a surgeon who only got a C in medical school. The same principle applies in helping people with mental illnesses.


-Ken Duckworth

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