Beating Heart Surgery
Beating heart surgery refers to several approaches for bypassing critically blocked arteries that are less difficult and risky than conventional open-heart surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting -- CABG). These approaches restore healthy blood flow to the heart without having to stop the heart and put the patient on a heart-lung machine during surgery.
Types of Beating Heart Surgery
Currently, there are three beating heart surgery procedures: Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Bypass (MIDCAB), Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass (OPCAB), and Robotic Assisted Coronary Artery Bypass (RACAB). Each of these procedures have the potential benefit of avoiding complications associated with the heart-lung machine such as increased risk of stroke, lung complications, kidney complications and problems with mental clarity and memory. Other benefits of beating heart surgery are faster recovery and reduced hospital costs.
Learn more about beating heart surgery at the Heart Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has been performing cardiac surgery since the 1940s and helped pioneer open-heart surgery in North Carolina. Through the years, Medical Center cardiologists and heart surgeons have made major contributions in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.