Minimally Invasive Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Introduction
Mini CABG is a type of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
surgery that uses smaller cuts in your chest than traditional open-heart
surgery. It may be an option for some patients.
Coronary artery bypass graft is a procedure that improves blood flow to the
heart.
Coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG, is a procedure that
improves blood flow to the heart by rerouting it around blocked arteries. A
blockage occurs when plaque builds up in your coronary arteries and restricts
the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle. When this happens, you
experience chest pain, called angina that can be mild or severe. If a blockage
becomes worse, it can cause chest pain at rest and even cardiac arrest (a
sudden loss of heartbeat).
CABG surgery involves opening up part of your chest cavity
so a surgeon can perform an artery bypass operation to restore blood flow from
another part of your body through one or more healthy veins directly into the coronary
arteries—the vessels that supply oxygenated blood to your heart muscle. The
surgeon uses these bypass grafts (tubes) to reroute blood around an area where
there's been an obstruction in one or more main arteries supplying oxygen-rich
blood throughout other parts of the body such as legs and arms as well as head
- neck region also known as brain!
Cardiac surgery traditionally involves cutting the sternum, or chest bone,
so the surgeon can spread the ribs and access the heart.
In open-heart surgery, the surgeon cuts through your
breastbone to access the blood vessels of the heart. This is an invasive
procedure that can involve a long recovery time and a high risk for
complications. Mini CABG only requires a small incision in your side to access
the left internal mammary artery (LIMA), which supplies blood flow to your left
arm and some parts of your lung. It’s less invasive than traditional CABG,
which involves making several larger cuts in order to access major arteries
that supply oxygen-rich blood throughout your body.
The smaller incision used during mini CABG means you have
less postoperative pain after surgery and recover faster than someone who had
open-heart surgery using traditional methods such as full sternotomy (opening
of chest bone) or median sternotomy (opening of breast bone).
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Mini CABG requires smaller cuts on either side of your breastbone.
Mini CABG requires smaller cuts on either side of your
breastbone. Because it’s a less invasive approach, mini CABG is less painful
and you’ll recover faster than with open-heart surgery. You will also have less
risk of infection, bleeding, and scarring.
Who might be a good candidate for this procedure?
● Someone
who has severe blockages that cannot be treated with angioplasty or stents
alone.
● Someone
who can take certain medications to prevent blood clots (anticoagulants).
Who should not get this procedure?
● People
who are allergic to any drugs used during the procedure.
What happens during the operation?
Your cardiologist will use several small incisions in your
chest area to reach the arteries inside your heart muscle where they’re needed
most if there are severe blockages such as plaque buildup or narrowing in an
artery caused by atherosclerosis (a hardening of the arteries). They may insert
one tube through each incision called a catheter into one or more arteries near
your heart so they can monitor blood flow while they treat these areas with
stent grafts (tiny mesh tubes) that hold them open until they heal naturally
over time.
The mini CABG approach may be more comfortable for patients than
traditional open-heart surgery.
The mini CABG approach may be more comfortable for patients
than traditional open-heart surgery. Recovery time is typically faster, and it
is an option for many patients with blockages in their heart.
The procedure typically has a faster recovery time than traditional
open-heart surgery.
The procedure typically has a faster recovery time than
traditional open-heart surgery.
The length of your recovery depends on your health and how
well you follow your doctor’s instructions. It can vary from 2-3 days to
several weeks, depending on factors such as:
● Your
age and overall health
● How
long it took for you to heal from the previous procedure
● The
severity of your original condition
Mini CABG is an option for many patients with blockages in their heart.
Your doctor may recommend mini CABG if you are:
● Undergoing
surgery to treat a blockage in your heart.
● A
candidate for traditional CABG surgery, but have certain complications that
make traditional surgery risky.
In some cases, mini CABG may be safer than traditional
surgical options because it requires less time on the heart-lung machine and
allows patients to go home sooner after their procedure. Because of this, many
patients experience fewer complications after this type of procedure than they
would with traditional open-heart surgery. However, not all people who meet the
above criteria can undergo mini CABG; sometimes standard open-heart surgery is
still necessary for optimal results. Talk with your doctor about which option
might work best for you before making a final decision about your treatment
plan
You should talk with your care team about whether you're a good candidate
for this type of CABG.
Mini CABG is an option for patients who have blockages in
their coronary arteries but who aren't ready for the more extensive bypass
surgery.
Before you begin, you'll need to talk with your care team
about whether mini CABG is a good choice for you. Your surgeon will want to
make sure that:
● You're
healthy enough to tolerate this procedure. This includes having no active
medical conditions and not being overweight (obesity can make anesthesia
riskier).
● You
have blockages in your coronary arteries that can be treated by angioplasty
alone. If there are any other reasons why mini CABG wouldn't work well, they
may suggest another type of surgery or medications instead.
● There
isn't anything else wrong with your heart or lungs that would make the
procedure more difficult or cause complications afterward (such as severe lung
disease).
This means that even if someone meets these criteria on
paper, they still might not be able to get this type of bypass surgery because
there's something else going on inside their bodies that could pose risks
during recovery time—and may even lead to health problems after they leave the
hospital!
Conclusion
Mini CABG is a minimally invasive surgery that's less
invasive than traditional open-heart surgery. It may be an option for patients
who are at high risk for complications from cardiac surgery, such as older
adults and those with other health problems. If you're considering this
procedure, talk with your care team about whether it's right for you—and what
the risks and benefits are.
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