Coronary Artery Disease

Heart disease refers to when arteries become clogged. Over time, fats, cholesterol and other substances build up in the walls of your arteries to form a type of plaque. When some of the plaque loosens and breaks off, a blood clot forms, and blood flow to your heart is blocked. This usually results in chest discomfort called angina and a heart attack.

Coronary revascularization surgery is a heart operation that uses blood vessels to bypass clogged heart arteries. The goal of the procedure is to allow blood to flow to the heart the way it should.

More than half a million coronary revascularization operations are performed each year to fix clogged arteries. In this surgery, your doctor will take a blood vessel from your chest, let or arm. One end of the vessel is attached to a healthy artery, and the other end is attached to the diseased coronary artery below the point where it is clogged. This creates a new channel, allowing blood to flow freely again.

The traditional "open" approach to coronary revascularization surgery requires that the surgeon cut through the breastbone – the body’s natural protective structure for the heart—and pull back the ribs to access the heart. This approach can prolong healing time, increase risk of infection, serious complications and even mortality.

da Vinci® Coronary Revascularization: A Less Invasive Procedure

If your doctor recommends bypass surgery, you may be a candidate for a new, less invasive surgical procedure called da Vinci Coronary Revascularization.

• Shorter hospital stay
• Less pain and scarring
• Less risk of infection
• Less blood loss and fewer transfusions
• Faster recovery
• Quicker return to normal activities

As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed, as surgery is patient- and procedure-specific.