ACCORDING
to the National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute,
coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
surgery is the most common type of
open-heart surgery in the United States.
CABG surgery is used to treat people
who have severe coronary heart disease.
Now Aspirus offers a new, less invasive
option called minimally invasive heart
bypass.
“Minimally invasive heart bypass
offers many benefits to the patient
not found with traditional bypass
surgery,” says Fernando Riveron, MD,
Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Aspirus
Heart & Vascular. “The procedure can
significantly reduce pain for the patient
New minimally
invasive option
for heart surgery
and shorten the hospital stay.”
Both procedures involve taking a
healthy artery or vein from the chest, leg
or arm and placing it to create a new path
for blood to flow to the heart and bypass
the clogged or damaged blood vessel.
The minimally invasive bypass option,
however, has significant benefits over
traditional CABG surgery.
Little surgery, big benefits
The traditional CABG procedure
requires surgeons to break the ribs or
breastbone, whereas the minimally
invasive option is performed through one
4-centimeter incision in the chest. Not only
does the minimally invasive bypass option
allow surgeons to perform the surgery
without having to open the patient’s chest,
but it also offers benefits, including:
w
No broken bones and minimal
blood loss.
w
Lower risk of infection.
w
Faster return to daily living.
w
Shorter recovery with less pain.
w
Greatly reduced scarring.
w
Driving almost immediately after surgery.
Not all patients with coronary artery
disease are candidates for minimally
invasive heart bypass surgery. To
determine if a patient is a candidate,
many factors are taken into consideration,
including the quality of the coronary
artery, the patient’s size and the number of
grafts needed.
Fernando Riveron, MD
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
Aspirus Heart & Vascular, go online to
aspirus.org/heart
or call the Aspirus
Information Center at
715-847-2380
or
800-847-4707
.
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