Heart bypass surgery - minimally invasive

Alternative Names: Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass; MIDCAB; Robot assisted coronary artery bypass; RACAB; Keyhole heart surgery

Heart bypass surgery creates a new route, called a bypass, for blood and oxygen to reach your heart.

Minimally invasive coronary (heart) artery bypass can be done without stopping the heart and putting a patient on a heart-lung machine.

See also:

• Coronary bypass
• Angioplasty and stent placement

Description of Procedure

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 the 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 of Heart bypass surgery - minimally invasive

Ask your doctor about the risks of surgery. In general, the complications of minimally invasive coronary artery bypass are lower than with open coronary artery bypass surgery.

Risks for any surgery include:

• Blood clots in the legs that may travel to the lungs
• Breathing problems
• Heart attack or stroke
• Infection of the lungs, urinary tract, and chest
• Blood loss

Possible risks of coronary artery bypass include:

• Memory loss, loss of mental clarity, or "fuzzy thinking" - less common in people who have minimally invasive coronary artery bypass than in people who have open coronary bypass
• Heart rhythm problems (arrhythmia)
• A chest wound infection - this is more likely to happen if you are obese, have diabetes, or have had coronary bypass surgery in the past
• Low-grade fever and chest pain (together called postpericardiotomy syndrome), which can last up to 6 months

Heart, front view	Posterior heart arteries	Anterior heart arteries	Coronary artery stent
Heart bypass surgery - series

Review Date: 6/2/2010
Reviewed By: Shabir Bhimji MD, PhD, Specializing in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Midland , TX Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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