Healthcast: Heart Bypass SurgeryPOSTED: 9:27 pm EDT August 11,
2004 There are two ways to perform heart bypass surgery, one stops the heart while the repairs are made and the other is performed on a beating heart. But which is better?One study said there is no difference but Channel 4 Action News medical editor Marilyn Brooks has found that this is not necessarily true.This report originally aired on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 on Channel 4 Action News. It's all about selection. Both procedures are good but a lot of centers are doing this new beating heart procedure for the majority of their patients. Experts tell Marilyn Brooks that this is not a good idea.During conventional bypass surgery the patient's heart is stopped, a heart-lung machine circulates blood through the body while surgeons attach new blood vessels to bypass clogged ones. Its 50-year history is now being challenged by a new technique.Richard Pascarella had it done. Back in March he weighed 190 pounds, which caused type-two diabetes. Chest pains sent him straight to his doctor for tests. What did they find?Richard Pascarella, Heart bypass patient: ”Ninety percent clogged… He was going to put stents in but he said it was useless so I had it done.Pascarella had by-pass surgery but luckily doctors didn't stop his heart to do it. Besides three clogged arteries he had plaque in his aorta. The heart-lung machine could have been bad.Dr. George Magovern Jr.: ”It was likely that he would break off a piece of that cholesterol, calcium whatever which could then go to the head and cause a stroke.”Roughly one-fifth of all by-pass operations are now performed off pump but how does it stack up to the conventional operation? A recently published study said the two are equal. Experts here agree, to a point. What's easier for the patient is challenging for the surgeonMost surgeons say if I can't do it as well as I can with the heart stopped then I'm not going to do it.Marilyn Brooks: ”You have to understand the magic here is not in the procedure itself, it’s actually in the patient. In other words, take the beating heart procedure; it’s not for everyone. But it’s perfect for a certain subset of patients and when those patients are carefully chosen they are the ones with the greatest benefit.”Those patients either have: Copyright 2004 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |








