Jumat, 31 Oktober 2008

Robotically-assisted heart surgery

Robotic heart surgery is the latest advance in trying to move open heart surgical procedures to the category of minimally invasive surgery - that is, to minimize the extent and the trauma of cardiac surgery as much as possible.

Coronary arteries are the small blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients. Fat and cholesterol can build up inside these small arteries. The arteries can gradually become clogged. This buildup of fat and cholesterol plaque is called atherosclerosis.

When one or more of the coronary arteries becomes partially or totally blocked, the heart does not get enough blood. This is called ischemic heart disease or coronary artery disease (CAD). It can cause chest pain (angina).

Heart bypass surgery can be used to treat heart disease when your coronary arteries are blocked. Your doctor may treat the problem by giving the blood a new pathway to the heart.

Heart bypass surgery creates a detour or "bypass" around the blocked part of a coronary artery to restore the blood supply to the heart muscle. The surgery is commonly called Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, or CABG (pronounced "cabbage"

Coronary bypass surgery is a common procedure used to divert blood around blocked arteries in the heart. Coronary bypass surgery remains one of the gold standard surgical treatments for coronary artery disease.

During coronary artery bypass graft surgery (also called CABG, or "cabbage") a blood vessel is removed or redirected from one area of the body and placed around the area or areas of narrowing to "bypass" the blockages and restore blood flow to the heart muscle. This vessel is called a graft.

Coronary bypass surgery generally takes between three and six hours and requires general anesthesia. On average, surgeons repair two to four coronary arteries. The number of bypasses required depends on the location and severity of blockages in your heart.

The arteries that supply the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients are known as the coronary arteries. The word "coronary" means a crown, and is the name given to these arteries that circle the heart like a crown. The narrowing of the arteries of the heart is known as coronary artery disease, which is the most common form of heart disease.

Coronary artery bypass surgery is a type of surgery called revascularisation, used to improve blood flow to the heart in people with severe coronary artery disease (CAD).

CAD occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle (the coronary arteries) become blocked due to the buildup of a material called plaque on the inside of the blood vessels. If the blockage is severe, chest pain (also called angina), shortness of breath, and, in some cases, heart attack can occur.