Minimally invasive heart bypass surgery is also known as the minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass. It is often abbreviated as MIDCAB. As the name suggests, it is a minimally invasive approach to the conventional ‘Coronary Artery Bypass Graft’ (CABG). MIDCAB is basically a beating heart surgery, implying the fact that it is not at all required to stop heart beating in between the surgery which thus eliminates the requirement of heart-lung machine.

For carrying out this surgery, a surgeon is not required to make a large incision or cut at the center of the chest so as to open the rib cage. Instead, he usually makes small incisions in the side of the chest i.e. in-between the ribs. MIDCAB surgery mostly results in fewer complications, faster recovery and less pain after surgery. It is often performed on the patient whose one or two coronary arteries are blocked. If, however, the person has three or more blocked coronary arteries, then surgeons usually perform the conventional CABG surgery.

One of the potential challenges involved in minimally invasive bypass surgeries is the complexity involved in sewing a beating heart. If the surgeon is conducting surgery on the beating heart, then he usually takes the aid of a stabilization system. This stabilization system thus assists him to stabilize the portion of the heart that is under surgery. This system also eliminates the need of a heart-lung machine, thus enabling the surgeon to carry surgery in a precise manner on the heart of patient while the heart continues to beat.

There are in fact numerous benefits offered by the minimally invasive bypass surgery. They include normal supply of the oxygen and other nutrients to the heart as well as an adequate supply of blood to the heart. Besides, it allows the surgeon to carry out surgery on the patient’s heart while it is beating and that too with minimal incisions. Some of the other benefits are highlighted and discussed as under:

Reduced infection rate: Since this type of surgery usually involves minimal cuts or incisions, so this implies the reduction in the exposure level. Reduced exposure of the tissues further minimizes the rate of infection.

Faster recovery: As compared with the conventional CABG surgery, MIDCAB offers faster recovery. Moreover, use of smaller incisions and the avoidance of heart-lung machine minimize the potential risk of heart stroke and failure, thus enabling the patient to return to his normal activities within two weeks.

Minimal bleeding: In this type of surgery, the use of heart-lung machine is not a necessity which leads to a considerable amount of reduction in bleeding as well as prevents the blood cells from any sort of damage.

Cost-effective: A MIDCAB surgery is quite less expensive as compared to the conventional CABG surgery and it involves a shorter stay of the patient in the hospital.

That is all about a minimally invasive heart by pass surgery being carried out on the heart of a patient.