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Heart bypass surgery - minimally invasive
Definition
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Heart bypass surgery creates a new route, called a bypass, for blood and oxygen to reach your heart. It helps fix problems caused by coronary artery disease (CAD), in which the arteries that lead to your heart are partly or totally blocked.
Minimally invasive coronary (heart) artery bypass can be done without stopping the heart and putting a patient on a heart-lung machine.
See also:
Alternative Names
Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass; MIDCAB; Robot assisted coronary artery bypass; RACAB; Keyhole heart surgery
Description
A heart surgeon will make a 3- to 5-inch-long incision (cut) in the left part of your chest between your ribs. This allows the surgeon to reach your heart. Muscles in the area will be pushed apart. A small part of the front of the rib, called the costal cartilage, will be removed. Then the surgeon will find and prepare an artery in your chest to attach to your coronary artery that is blocked.
Once the above steps are done, the surgeon will connect the prepared chest artery to your coronary artery that is blocked.
You will not need to be on a heart-lung machine for this surgery, but a device will be attached to your heart to slow it down.
Risks
Ask your doctor about risks. In general, problems and complications with minimally invasive coronary artery bypass are lower than with open coronary artery bypass surgery.
Risks for any surgery are:
- Blood clots in the legs that may travel to the lungs
- Breathing problems
- Heart attack or stroke
- Infection, including in the lungs, urinary tract, and chest
- Blood loss
Possible risks with having coronary bypass are:
- Some people report memory loss and loss of mental clarity or "fuzzy thinking." This is less common in people who have minimally invasive coronary artery bypass than in people who have open coronary bypass.
- Heart rhythm problems (arrhythmia)
- Sternal (chest) wound infection, which is more likely to happen in people who are obese, have diabetes, or have already had coronary bypass surgery
- Post-pericardiotomy syndrome, a low-grade fever and chest pain that can last up to 6 months
Reviewed By: Larry A. Weinrauch MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Cardiovascular Disease and Clinical Outcomes Research, Watertown, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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