Heart surgery

Sometimes your doctor will recommend surgery to help control your symptoms and/or reduce the chance of a sudden heart event in the future. Heart surgery can be planned in advance or performed as part of emergency treatment.

Heart surgery can help to maintain and prolong life by:

• restoring blood supply to the heart by opening – or replacing – blocked coronary arteries
• stretching, repairing or replacing a damaged heart valve
• correcting or regulating an abnormal heart rhythm

Apart from emergency situations, it’s important you’re prepared for surgery and know what it involves as well as what the risks are. If you have to wait for your surgery, try to use the time positively and prepare yourself – for example, by making any necessary changes to your lifestyle that will reduce your risk of future heart disease.

Further information on reducing the risks.

Open heart surgery

This term refers to surgery in which the chest is opened and surgery is performed on the heart. The term ‘open’ refers to the chest, not to the heart itself – the heart may or may not be opened, depending on the particular type of surgery. The term generally relates to the sternum being opened and corrective surgery being performed.

Coronary angioplasty and stenting

Coronary angioplasty and stenting is used to open up narrowed or blocked arteries which supply your heart muscle. This treatment is done to provide relief from symptoms of angina.

During angioplasty and stenting, the narrowed artery is stretched open with a balloon (angioplasty), and a metal strut known as a stent is implanted into the coronary artery. This keeps the narrowing open and allows your blood to flow more freely through it.

Angioplasy is also known as Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).

Heart bypass

Heart bypass is also known as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). It’s a surgical procedure used to treat narrowed or blocked arteries supplying your heart muscle. This is a major heart operation which is used routinely for the treatment of patients with coronary artery disease and angina.

A blood vessel will be taken from another part of your body and attached to the coronary artery above and below the narrowed area or blockage. This is known as a graft. The graft adds to the flow of blood around the part of the coronary artery that is narrowed or blocked.