When heart failure results from inadequate blood flow to the heart muscle (usually as a result of coronary artery disease), surgery to bypass the blocked arteries may be the best option. This type of surgery is probably the most common operation used to treat heart failure. The goal of coronary bypass is to provide new pathways (bypasses) for oxygen-rich blood to flow into the affected areas of heart muscle. This enables the heart to pump more normally. Until recently, conventional bypass surgery required the use of a heart/lung machine and techniques to stop the heart from beating. A heart/lung machine oxygenates and circulates the blood to the rest of the body while the surgeon performs the operation. In many cases, FACT Surgery surgeons can perform this procedure without stopping your heartbeat and without the need for a heart/lung machine. This is called off-pump surgery, and offers a variety of benefits including a smoother post-operative hospital stay, a shorter hospital stay, a quicker return to usual activities, and a lower rate of complications. | 
Florida Advanced Cardiothoracic Surgery