Heart Surgery
Your heart is a muscle about the size of your fist. It delivers oxygen and nutrients
to all parts of your body. In order to do this well, your heart needs to be strong
with a regular heartbeat. For this to occur:
• Arteries – The arteries on the outside of the heart must have wide-enough
openings for the blood to flow through them, providing oxygen and nutrients to
the heart muscle.
• Valves – All four valves need to work correctly so the blood flows through them
without backing up.
• Electrical system – The electrical system controls the heart rate and rhythm ––
making certain the four chambers beat as they should.
Open heart or cardiac surgery refers to different types of procedures to:
• Bypass narrow or blocked arteries.
• Repair or replace a valve or valves.
• Correct the electrical system.
Your surgeon will discuss which surgery you will be having and the benefits,
risks, and other treatments. To begin heart surgery, the surgeon makes an incision
through the breastbone (sternum). The surgeon may need to reroute your blood
flow and stop your heart and lungs so he can repair or work on the heart. To do
this you are placed on a heart-lung machine. This machine provides oxygen to the
blood and pumps the blood through the rest of your body.
In some cases, heart bypass surgery is performed “off-pump.” The chest bone is
opened to access the heart, but the heart isn’t stopped and a heart-lung bypass
machine is not used.
Minimally invasive heart surgery is another option for some bypass cases. Instead
of a large incision through the breastbone, one or more incisions are made on the
left side of the chest between the ribs.
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