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Surgery
Cardiac surgery at Sacred Heart's Regional Heart and Vascular Institute in Pensacola includes not only conventional coronary artery bypass surgery, but also more recent innovations such as off-pump bypass surgery that is done without stopping the heart or putting the patient on a heart-lung machine during surgery.
Sacred Heart Hospital was the area's first hospital to provide cardiac bypass surgery and one of the first hospitals in the United States to pioneer the technique of off-pump or beating heart surgery.
We also provide a less invasive, small incision surgery to repair the mitral valve of the heart. By making a small incision between the ribs of the chest, the technique avoids a large incision down the sternum. This approach means a faster and less painful recovery for patients with fewer complications.
In 2006, Sacred Heart also introduced a new surgical procedure to treat irregular heartbeat, a common but potentially deadly heart rhythm disorder. The new surgical approach uses a high intensity ultrasound device to safely treat irregular heartbeat without having to place the patient on a heart-lung bypass machine. The procedure destroys specific heart muscle cells that transmit erratic heart rhythms.
The full spectrum of cardiac valve surgery also is performed, including valve replacement with tissue valves or mechanical valves (plastic or metal).
Options for Bypass Surgery
Heart bypass surgery is needed to treat an obstruction caused by a coronary (heart) artery filled with a clot or with plaque (atherosclerosis). If the obstruction is not bypassed, the heart muscle beyond the obstruction is denied oxygen and nutrients leading to heart damage (heart attack or pain).
Coronary bypass surgery usually involves the coronary arteries (the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle itself). During bypass surgery, a graft vein or artery is taken from a healthy blood vessel in the body – usually from the chest wall or the leg. The graft vessel is then surgically attached above and below an obstructed or poorly functioning artery. After surgery, the blood will flow through the graft vessel and will "bypass" or avoid the blocked vessel supplying the heart muscle.
Coronary bypass surgery is needed to treat an obstruction caused by a coronary (heart) artery filled with a clot or with plaque (atherosclerosis). If the obstruction is not bypassed, the heart muscle beyond the obstruction is denied oxygen and nutrients leading to heart damage (heart attack or pain).
There are two types of Coronary Artery Bypass Surgeries (CABGs) performed routinely at Sacred Heart Hospital:
On-Pump: On-Pump CABG is also known as "Traditional Bypass Surgery". The pumping and oxygenation function of the heart is taken over by a heart-lung machine during the surgery, and medications are given that temporarily stop the heart. This way, the heart is completely at rest while the surgeon performs the bypass surgery.
Off-Pump/Beating Heart: Off-Pump CABG is also known as "Beating Heart Surgery" and is another method of bypass surgery. A heart-lung machine is not used, and the heart is not stopped with medications. Instead, the heart continues to perform its pumping and oxygenation functions while the surgeon works. The surgeon stabilizes just the portion of the heart where the bypass is needed, while the remainder of the heart continues to function normally. According to the Journal of the American Heart Association, off-pump bypass, in the appropriate patients, is as safe and effective as standard on-pump coronary bypass surgery, and many healthcare professionals believe it may reduce the risk of stroke, bleeding and renal failure.
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