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Saint Raphael's has earned a national recognition for the
quality of the coronary bypass surgery it offers. Bypass
involves creation of a detour, or bypass, around blocked
arteries, during open heart surgery. Sometimes a single artery
is bypassed; sometimes the surgery involves multiple
bypasses.
Beating
heart bypass
Saint Raphael's was one of the first hospitals in Connecticut
to perform the remarkable new beating heart bypass, and has
performed more of them than most hospitals in the state.
During this surgery, the heart remains beating throughout the
bypass surgery. This eliminates the need for a patient to be
placed on a heart-lung machine, and for the heart to be
restarted following surgery; both of which occur during
traditional bypass surgery. There are additional benefits as
well. Patients experience fewer complications, need less
anesthesia, and have a significantly shorter recovery time.
Endoscopic vein harvesting
Saint Raphael's has been a leader and pioneer in the area of
endoscopic vein harvesting, which greatly reduces patient pain
following surgery. Ironically, one of the worst pains many
patients experience following bypass surgery does not come
from the opening of their chest. Rather, it comes from the
part of the leg where doctors remove the vein needed to
construct the bypass.
With this new procedure, there is a tiny incision near the
knee, and one near the groin, through which special
instruments are inserted to remove the vein. This causes far
less trauma and pain for the patient.
This page
was last updated on 04/23/2001
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