Beating Heart Bypass Surgery is performed while the heart is still beating – a major advancement now available to Deborah patients. With off-pump technology, heart and lungs continue to function during the surgery, reducing the risk of stroke, lung, and kidney dysfunction, and memory loss.

Benefits of off-pump surgery:

• Shortens the average hospital stay
• No longer requires the need for heart-lung machine during surgery
• Lowers the needs of dialysis, encephalopathy, and chest wound infections
• Procedure lowers the need for red blood cell transfusion

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How does it work?

Beating Heart Bypass Surgery differs from traditional coronary artery bypass surgery because a heart-lung machine is not used. Rather than stopping the heart, technological advances and new kinds of equipment allow the surgeon to stabilize portions of the heart during surgery. With a particular area of the heart stabilized, the surgeon can go ahead and bypass the blocked artery while the rest of the heart keeps pumping and circulating blood to the body.

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Am I a good candidate for treatment?

Off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery may be performed in certain patients with coronary artery disease. It is ideal for patients with increased risk for complications from cardiopulmonary bypass, such as those who have heavy aortic calcification, liver cirrhosis, or compromised pulmonary or renal function.

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What can I expect after treatment?

The aim of off-pump bypass surgery is to decrease the morbidity of coronary artery bypass surgery. The off-pump approach may lessen the risk of cognitive changes seen in many patients who underwent CABG with cardiopulmonary bypass.