
These biological valves are made from pig, cow or human heart tissues. To fix these problems, surgeons either perform valve repair or replacement using a man-made or biological valve. Surgery is performed when these leaflets do not open as wide as they should or if they do not close tightly. Each valve has a set of flaps called leaflets.

Healthy heart valves allow blood to precisely flow between different chambers and out of the heart into large arteries. This procedure improves the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart, relieves chest pain, reduces the risk of heart attack and improves the patient’s ability for physical activity that has been limited by certain heart conditions. A patient may undergo multiple bypass grafts depending on the number of clogged arteries.

The grafted arteries reroute the blood around the blocked portion of the artery to supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. Coronary Artery Bypass GraftingĬoronary artery bypass grafting (CABG, pronounced as “cabbage”) is the most common type of heart surgery used to treat people who have severe coronary heart disease, a condition when plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart.ĭuring CABG, the surgeon takes a healthy artery or vein from other parts of the body and grafts it to the blocked coronary artery. When less invasive procedures aren’t an option, your doctor might recommend open-heart surgery. The most common example of this surgery is robotic-assisted surgery where a surgeon uses a computer to control surgical tools on thin robotic arms to do complex and highly precise surgery. Minimally Invasive SurgeryĪ type of surgical approach that involves making small incisions in the side of the chest between the ribs without having to cut open the breastbone to reach the heart. Off-pump heart surgery is not advisable for all patients. The difference is that the heart is not stopped during surgery and the patient is not connected to a heart-lung bypass machine. Today’s technology allows doctors to perform the following different surgical approaches to operate on the heart other than traditional open-heart surgery: Off-Pump Heart SurgeryĪ procedure that is like traditional open-heart surgery where the chest wall is cut open to access the heart. This major operation may be recommended if medical and noninvasive approaches are not an option for treating certain cardiovascular conditions. It then circulates the blood to other organs in the body while removing carbon dioxide. The bypass pump does the work of the heart and lungs by adding oxygen to the blood. The heart is stopped the whole time while it is connected to this machine. During some open-heart surgeries, the heart is connected to a heart-lung bypass machine or bypass pump. Open-heart surgery is any type of surgery that requires a surgeon to open the chest and operate on the heart muscle, valves, arteries or the aorta and other large arteries connected to the heart. We’ll stay with you from the day you’re admitted through your recovery to put your heart on a new path for the future.

This is one of the reasons The Joint Commission ranks us among the best places in the nation for heart attack, heart failure and surgical care. Experience and ExcellenceĪt Abrazo Health, our heart specialists have performed thousands of open-heart surgeries. Whether you need coronary artery bypass surgery following a heart attack or surgery to repair a damaged heart valve, you need a doctor who understands your condition and has the tools and expertise to find the problem and recommend a treatment or procedure. Open-Heart Surgery No two hearts are alike, so your treatment shouldn’t be either.
