Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgical Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
(Also called: MICS CABG, keyhole heart surgery)
Purpose
Some patients, even those with multiple coronary artery blockages, may undergo minimally invasive coronary artery bypass (MICS CABG), which is a less invasive procedure than standard coronary artery bypass surgery.
Coronary artery bypass surgery is used to treat symptoms of coronary artery disease that do not improve with medication, lifestyle changes, or minimally invasive procedures, such as angioplasty. During coronary artery bypass surgery, blood vessels are removed from another part of the body and used to reroute the heart’s blood supply past blocked arteries. This prevents the heart muscle from being permanently damaged by a lack of oxygen.
Description
- Blood tests, an electrocardiogram, and chest X-rays are done before the procedure.
- A nurse or doctor asks the patient to provide informed consent. This is required before the procedure can be performed.
- The patient is taken by stretcher to the Cardiac Operating Room.
- The patient is placed under general anesthesia and remains unconscious throughout the operation.
- A small incision (cut) is made in the patient’s left chest wall, between the ribs, to allow the surgeons access to the heart.
- Using specialized surgical instruments through the small incision, surgeons prepare a blood vessel in the chest wall.
- This healthy blood vessel is connected to the heart to let blood flow around the blocked portions of the coronary artery.
- This process is repeated for additional bypasses.
- Once the new vessel is connected, all incisions are closed.
- The patient stays in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) for 24 hours or until intensive care is no longer required.
- The next day, the patient is moved to a regular hospital room. The usual hospital stay after MICS CABG is four days.
Patient Instructions
Patients should bring all medications (including non-prescription drugs and supplements) with them to the hospital.
Patients should not eat or drink after midnight the night before surgery.
Additional Information
Patients and their families are asked to attend a class prior to discharge in order to obtain post-operative care instructions. They will also receive the Surgery Patient Guide with information about their specific surgery. A nurse will review with the patient and family members all medications the patient will be taking once discharged.
