At Deborah Heart and Lung Center, cardiothoracic surgeons perform Minimally-Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass (MIDCAB) surgery. This exciting new procedure allows coronary revascularization to be performed with a small incision and without the use of the heart-lung machine. This reduces complications and morbidity sometimes associated with traditional coronary artery surgery, while maintaining the impressive durability seen when the internal mammary artery is used as a bypass conduit.

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How does it work?

To perform this surgery:

• The heart surgeon will make a 3- to 5-inch incision in the left part of the chest.
• Muscles in the area will be pushed apart and a small part of the front of the rib, called the costal cartilage, will be removed.
• The surgeon will then find and prepare the mammary artery to attach to the coronary artery that is blocked.
• Next, the surgeon will use sutures to connect the prepared chest artery to the coronary artery that is blocked.

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Am I a good candidate for treatment?

A physician may recommend a minimally invasive coronary artery bypass to patients with a blockage in one or two coronary arteries, most often in the front of the heart. MIDCAB is usually only recommended if treatments such as medication, cardiac rehabilitation, and angioplasty with stenting have failed.

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