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,” said
Fernando Riveron, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at Aspirus Heart
& Vascular. “The procedure can significantly reduce pain for the
patient 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.
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
.
New minimally
invasive option
for heart surgery
Fernando
Riveron, MD
14
aspire
Fall 2014
