Surgery Contributions by ColleenO

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All procedures for heart attack patients aim to help restore and/or improve blood flow to the heart muscle, which helps the heart perform better:

• Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) helps improve blood flow to the heart by bypassing obstructed coronary (heart) arteries.
• Angioplasty helps improve blood flow by opening a blocked arteries.
• An Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) responds to the presence of an abnormal heart rhythm by delivering an electrical shock to jumpstart the heart and return it to a normal rhythm.
• Coronary Artery Brachytherapy uses radiation to open coronary arteries that have narrowed after stent placement.
• Laser Revascularization helps improve blood flow by creating small channels in a wall of heart muscle to allow new blood vessels to grow.

Surgery for heart attack may help restore and/or improve blood flow to the heart muscle, which helps the heart perform better. Possible devices and procedures that may be included in treatment after a heart attack include:

• Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG): This procedure is performed to re-establish blood flow to the heart muscle by moving blood vessels from other parts of the body to the heart, providing a route around the obstructed coronary (heart) arteries. It is often recommended when there is a severe blockage in the main artery or obstructions in several arteries. (See coronary artery disease.)
• Angioplasty: This is a procedure to open a blocked artery.
• Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD): Patients with a history of heart attack and diminished pumping function are at increased risk for heart arrhythmias, including life-threatening ventricular fibrillation. Those patients may benefit from having an ICD device implanted in their chests.
• Coronary Artery Brachytherapy: Radiation is sometimes used to open coronary arteries that have narrowed after stent placement.
• Laser Revascularization: Transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMLR) is a technique that uses a laser to create small channels into a wall of heart muscle to allow new blood vessels to grow and ultimately improve blood flow.

All procedures for heart attack patients aim to help restore and/or improve blood flow to the heart muscle, which helps the heart perform better:

• Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) helps improve blood flow to the heart by bypassing obstructed coronary (heart) arteries.
• Angioplasty helps improve blood flow by opening a blocked arteries.
• An Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) responds to the presence of an abnormal heart rhythm by delivering an electrical shock to jumpstart the heart and return it to a normal rhythm.
• Coronary Artery Brachytherapy uses radiation to open coronary arteries that have narrowed after stent placement.
• Laser Revascularization helps improve blood flow by creating small channels in a wall of heart muscle to allow new blood vessels to grow.

Surgeries for congestive heart failure pose significant risks to the patient. See individual procedures for more information:

• Heart valve replacement side effects & warnings
• Coronary bypass side effects & warnings
• Heart transplant side effects & warnings

Surgeries can help treat congestive heart failure in a few different ways:

• Coronary Artery Bypass: If coronary artery disease (CAD) is the cause of congestive heart failure, a coronary artery bypass helps reroute the blood supply around a blocked section of the artery, ideally helping the heart receive the blood flow (and oxygen) it needs to function properly.

• Heart Valve Replacement: If the heart valves are damaged or defective, heart valve surgery may help restore the appropriate flow of blood inside the heart.

• Heart Transplant: In the most severe cases of congestive heart failure, a heart transplant provides treatment by replacing the entire heart.

There are three major surgeries that are common treatments for patients with congestive heart failure:

• Coronary Artery Bypass: If coronary artery disease (CAD) is the cause of congestive heart failure, a coronary artery bypass may be used to reroute the blood supply around a blocked section of the artery.

• Heart Valve Replacement: Heart valves regulate the flow of blood inside the heart. If the valves are damaged or defective, heart valve surgery may be recommended.

• Heart Transplant: When a heart is damaged to the point that no other therapies work and a patient is at risk of dying, a heart transplant may be considered. This is reserved for the most severe cases of congestive heart failure. There are number of conditions that may limit a patient’s ability to receive a heart transplant.

Surgeries can help treat congestive heart failure in a few different ways:

• Coronary Artery Bypass: If coronary artery disease (CAD) is the cause of congestive heart failure, a coronary artery bypass helps reroute the blood supply around a blocked section of the artery, ideally helping the heart receive the blood flow (and oxygen) it needs to function properly.

• Heart Valve Replacement: If the heart valves are damaged or defective, heart valve surgery may help restore the appropriate flow of blood inside the heart.

• Heart Transplant: In the most severe cases of congestive heart failure, a heart transplant provides treatment by replacing the entire heart.