Open Heart Surgery

Open heart surgery is any surgery where the chest is opened and surgery is performed on the heart. The term "open" refers to the chest, not the heart itself.

The cardiovascular system, composed of the heart and blood vessels, is responsible for circulating blood throughout the body to supply the body with oxygen and nutrients.

The heart is the muscle that pumps blood filled with oxygen and nutrients through the blood vessels to the body tissues. When the muscle or these vessels are damaged some open heart procedures are necessary for repair. There are a variety of types of open heart surgeries including: (Could add more procedures that apply)

• Heart Valve Repair/Replacement
• Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
• Heart Transplantation

During open heart surgery, the chest must he opened. In order to open the chest, the breastbone, or sternum, is cut in half and spread apart. Once the heart is exposed, large tubes are inserted into the heart so that the blood can be pumped through the body during the surgery by a cardiopulmonary bypass machine (heart-lung machine). The bypass machine is necessary to pump blood during open heart surgery because the heart is stopped and kept still while the heart surgeon performs the valve repair or replacement procedure. The heart-lung machine is used during conventional open heart surgery to help provide oxygen-rich blood to the brain and other vital organs. The machine also pumps, supplies oxygen, removes carbon dioxide from the blood, and provides anesthesia to keep the patient asleep during open heart surgery.

New advances in the cardiology field have made it possible to perform open heart surgery while the heart is beating. Minimally invasive surgery is being used in some patients as an alternative to open heart surgery that requires the heart-lung machine.

For more information about the St. John's Mercy Heart and Vascular Hospital, please call 1-866-78-HEART.