Heart surgery has seen many technological advances over the years. For many years the most common form of heart surgery was open heart surgery. This was an intense surgery that required surgeons to split the chest bone and pry apart the chest cavity. When surgery was finished, the bones in the chest were pushed back together and secured shut with wire. While this surgery saved many lives, it was painful and had a long recovery.
Beginning in the mid 1990s, minimally invasive heart surgery started to replace open heart surgery. There are many advantages to minimally invasive heart surgery.
One of the advantages is a reduction in pain. With these procedures, the chest bones are left intact. A small incision is made between the ribs. The surgeons use scopes to see the heart on a screen and elongated instruments that can be inserted into the small opening to perform the surgery. Because the chest is not disturbed, there is much less pain associated with the surgery.
Because the surgery not as invasive and because the chest is left intact, there is less trauma placed on the body, therefore, patients heal much more rapidly. They are required to stay in the hospital for a shorter amount of time. Some recipients can leave after only four days in the hospital. They can resume activities faster, such as basic personal care. Within a few weeks, they return to their regular day’s activities. This can happen as fast as two weeks for some patients.
There are fewer complications with minimally invasive heart surgery. These include a lower risk for bleeding and infection. There is an improvement of the lungs ability to function postoperatively. There is less time spent in the ICU.
Finally, one of the pleasing benefits is the cosmetic appeal. The scar from the incision is much smaller and may not be noticeable on certain individuals.