According to the Texas Heart Institute, thousands of heart surgeries are performed in the United States daily. Modern heart surgery techniques now include the ability to operate on a heart without stopping it, and new, robotic-assisted techniques allow a surgeon to use extremely small incisions and computers to control the movements of thin robotic arms. Numerous different kinds of heart surgeries can be performed with the help of recently discovered technology. These vary from heart transplants to replacing a heart valve.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
During a procedure known as coronary artery bypass grafting, blood vessels are taken from the chest, the legs or the arms and used to redirect the flow of blood to avoid a blocked artery. This operation may be done in a traditional way, involving making a large incision in the chest of the patient. During this kind of operation, a machine is used to circulate blood around the body. Another way to perform this procedure is by using something called off-pump. This method still uses a large incision but allows the heart to never stop beating. It's also possible for a surgeon to perform a minimally invasive bypass surgery. In this case, the surgery is performed through small incisions rather than a large cut.
Valve Surgery
Surgery on the heart valves is used to replace or repair these structures. They are vital for healthy function, since blood must flow through them to get to different chambers of the heart. They also prevent blood from flowing backwards in the blood vessels. A damaged valve may cause problems in delivering blood by failing to open and close properly, thus restricting blood flow. As with bypass surgeries, valve surgery can be done as an open heart surgery or a minimally invasive surgery. If the valve can be repaired, a surgeon can shape or rebuild the flaps that open and close the valve. If these flaps can't be repaired, they may be replaced with mechanical or biological valves.
Aneurysm Surgery
An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of an artery that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body. This condition can be life-threatening, since over time, the aneurysm can burst, causing severe bleeding. Besides arteries, an aneurysm can also happen in the heart muscle. A small aneurysm that does not cause any symptoms can be helped with medication, but if the aneurysm is large, a surgeon may have to replace the bulged section of the artery or heart wall. Again, this can be done as an open heart surgery or as a minimally invasive surgery. During the surgery, a doctor removes the injured part of the aorta and replaces it with a graft or patch. Aneurysm can also be fixed from inside of the aorta, using a catheter or a synthetic graft.
