Minimally invasive heart surgery

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Anterior heart arteries	Coronary artery stent	Heart, front view	Heart bypass surgery - series
Posterior heart arteries

Minimally invasive heart surgery refers to several approaches for bypassing critically blocked arteries. The minimally invasive procedures are less difficult and risky than conventional open heart surgery such as coronary artery bypass grafting, or CABG. The minimally invasive procedures restore healthy blood flow to the heart without having to stop the heart and put the patient on a heart-lung machine during surgery.

Currently, there are three types of these procedures:

• Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Bypass (MIDCAB)
• Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass (OPCAB)
• Robotic Assisted Coronary Artery Bypass (RACAB)

Patients who have one these procedures instead of open heart surgery have a lower risk of complications associated with the heart-lung machine such as stroke, lung problems, kidney problems, and problems with mental clarity and memory. In addition to reduced complications, other benefits of minimally invasive heart surgery are faster recovery and reduced hospital costs.

Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass; MIDCAB; Off-pump coronary artery bypass; OPCAB; Beating heart surgery; Robot assisted coronary artery bypass; RACAB; Keyhole heart surgery

MIDCAB: This procedure is for patients with blockage or blockages in the arteries on the front of the heart. (The left anterior descending (LAD) artery and its branches.) It allows the surgeon to perform bypass surgery without splitting the breastbone. A cut is still made on the patient's left chest to expose the heart, but unlike conventional open heart surgery, it is much smaller. After muscles in the area are pushed apart and a small part of the front of the rib (costal cartilage) is removed, the surgeon temporarily closes off the artery that lies underneath and frees its lower end. An opening is made in the pericardium, the covering of the heart. A device is attached to the heart to reduce its movement. Finally, the surgeon connects the artery below the blockage to the LAD artery or one of its branches. Once the other artery under the costal cartilage is re-opened, blood flow bypasses the blockage and feeds the heart. A heart-lung machine may or may not be used.