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Less-invasive Heart Surgery

Another innovation brought to the region first by Saint Vincent…another reason Saint Vincent is your best choice for heart care.

Mark Marbey, MD Cardiovascular Surgeon

AUDIO: Click here to listen as Dr. Marbey explains a less invasive form of heart surgery. (Courtesy of Erie Times-News)

VIDEO: Click here to watch Saint Vincent cardiovascular surgeons perform a less-invasive heart surgery. (Courtesy of Erie Times-News)

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NEWS STORY: Click here to read the Erie Times-News story about this innovative procedure.

In the past, heart disorders such as coronary artery disease, abnormal hearth rhythm (atrial fibrillation) and heart valve disease require traditional open-heart surgery.  Traditional surgery requires the surgeon to cut the breastbone and separate the rib cage in order to reach the heart.  However, there is now an alternative approach to these disorders that is available for some patients to consider:  Less-invasive heart surgery. 

Benefits of less-invasive heart surgery:

• Smaller incision
• Less blood loss
• Lower risk of infection
• Faster recovery

This surgery can be performed through a different and much smaller incision than the larger incision required when you split the breastbone.  The incisions are only a couple of inches and reduce blood loss, lower the chance of infection and provide patients with a faster recovery.  In fact, recovery time is decreased from 10 weeks or more to two weeks or less.  Another benefit for patients is the future.  Should a patient ever need re-operative heart surgery, surgeons can use the same technique which will be easier, faster and safer since there is no scar tissue underneath the breastbone. 

It should be noted that although this less-invasive procedure is not as difficult for patients compared to previous surgical techniques, this procedure is actually more difficult for surgeons.  Surgeons, operating room nurses, and anesthesiologists need additional training in order to master the advanced equipment and technology used. 

Patients with the following heart conditions may be candidates for less-invasive techniques:

Heart valve disease
When a patient is diagnosed with heart valve disease, it means that a heart valve does properly open or close.  This causes the heart to work harder in order pump the same amount of blood.  In certain cases, valves may be repaired and in others, replaced. 

Atrial fibrillation
When a patient is in need of an atrial fibrillation operation, the heart’s upper chambers are beating at an abnormal rhythm.  When the heart beats at an irregular rate, the chambers cannot fill completely.  Atrial fibrillation can be treated several different ways:  medication, electric shock or catheterization.  A long-lasting surgical approach, called the “Maze” procedure, can use the less-invasive technique.

Beating Heart Surgery
When a patient is eligible to undergo beating heart surgery, the heart-lung machine is utilized.  Surgeons began using this technology in the 1950s, however it causes some patients’ hearts to have clotting problems or abnormalities and inflammation.  When the less-invasive approach is applied to this procedure, the heart-lung machine is not required, which allows patients to feel fewer and/or avoid side effects.