At Baptist Health, we offer the most innovative heart surgeries and procedures performed by the region’s leading cardiac surgeons. From pre-procedure preparation to surgery to post-operative rehabilitation, we guide you through each step of your treatment to ensure you receive the exceptional care you deserve.
Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (Open Heart Surgery)
Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, sometimes referred to as open heart surgery is recommended if blockages in the arteries cannot be dissolved or removed and blood supply to the heart is greatly decreased.
The purpose of a surgical bypass is to “reroute” blood around the narrowed or blocked section(s) and restore blood flow to all parts of the heart muscle. During the procedure, a blood vessel is removed from the leg or chest. One end of the vessel will be attached to the heart’s aorta; the other end to the coronary artery below the blockage.
Using a heart-lung bypass machine, doctors are able to rest the heart long enough for surgery. The heart-lung machine takes over the functions of the heart and lungs by cleansing and oxygenating the blood and pumping it through the body. After the surgery is complete, the heart and lungs resume this work.
A coronary artery bypass surgery can also be conducted without using the heart-lung machine by stabilizing the portion of the heart in need of repair while the rest of the heart continues to beat. During this minimally-invasive “off pump” or beating heart bypass, the surgeon can work on the repairs while the rest of the heart beats freely. The beating heart bypass is similar to a traditional bypass but offers an array of benefits for the patient, including less anesthesia, less of a need for blood transfusions and often a shorter hospital stay.
Coronary & Peripheral Atherectomy
During an atherectomy, a catheter (a thin, soft, flexible tube) carrying a special cutting or grinding device clears blockage that has built up within an artery. There are three types of atherectomies your physician may use depending on the type of blockage found within your arteries.
Rotational Atherectomy uses an abrasive burr near the tip of the catheter to grind the plaque into small particles that float harmlessly away in the bloodstream.
Directional Coronary Atherectomy (DCA) positions the catheter window over the blockage. A rotating blade shaves the plaque and collects it in the catheter tip.
Extraction Atherectomy uses an abrasive burr near the tip of the catheter to grind the plaque into small particles that are collected on the tip and extracted.
After the atherectomy, your doctor may do an angioplasty using a balloon catheter to compress any remaining plaque against the arterial wall. An atherectomy usually lasts one to two hours.
Stents
A stent is a small metal coil or mesh tube that is placed in a narrowed artery during heart surgery to help improve blood flow to your heart. The stent permanently holds the passageway open and helps reduce the rate of restenosis, or re-narrowing of the artery.
New tissue will slowly grow over the stent and eventually cover it completely. To prevent the growth of cells from re-occluding the artery following angioplasty (balloon procedure that opens arteries), a drug-eluting stent designed to release the drug Sirolimus, may be used.
After the stent placement, you may need to stay in the hospital for one to five days and temporarily take anticoagulant medication to help prevent blood clots.
Angioplasty (Balloon)
Angioplasty relieves symptoms of coronary artery disease by improving blood flow to your heart. During angioplasty, a catheter (a thin, soft, flexible tube) with a balloon at the tip is inserted into your artery to widen the passageway. The balloon is inflated and deflated several times to compress the plaque against the artery wall. The artery will then be open again and blood flow to the heart muscle will increase.
Endovascular Vein Harvest
Endovascular Vein Harvest is a minimally-invasive heart procedure that uses a small incision and camera to harvest a vein from the patient’s leg that will be used to replace blocked vessels of the heart.