Many minimally invasive procedures are available to treat problems with your heart. These procedures can fix issues like malfunctioning valves and blockages in your heart’s arteries.
Traditional heart surgery involves making an incision through your breastbone and spreading your ribcage to access your heart. Doctors can perform minimally invasive procedures through smaller incisions or by threading a long tube called a catheter through your bloodstream.
Let’s cover some of the most common minimally invasive procedures doctors perform to fix heart problems.
These are some of the minimally invasive procedures available to treat your heart.
Also called keyhole surgeries, these involve accessing your heart through one or more small incisions through the ribs and inserting a thin tube with special tools to operate.
These surgeries may involve the use of robotically assisted surgery, or thoracoscopy, which allows surgeons to see and use operating tools from outside the chest. This means surgeons can perform more precise movements than would otherwise be possible.
Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting
Doctors use minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting to treat a blockage in one of the arteries of your heart. It involves making small incisions in your chest and, often but not always, around your leg. Your surgeon uses a piece of a blood vessel in your leg to create an alternative passage for blood in your heart.
Cardiac catheterization involves accessing a blood vessel, often one in your groin or wrist, and threading a long tube called a catheter through your bloodstream until it reaches your heart.
Coronary angioplasty and stenting
Coronary angioplasty and stenting is
This procedure involves threading a catheter through your bloodstream until it reaches the arteries that supply your heart. A balloon is inflated to widen blocked areas, and a stent is often put in place to keep it open. It’s performed to:
- improve blood flow through your heart
- decrease chest pain (angina)
- increase your ability to exercise
- treat heart attacks
- improve symptoms in people with chronic artery blockages
Atherectomy
Atherectomy is another similar procedure that may be performed during heart catheterization along with percutaneous angioplasty and stenting to clear plaque from your arteries using a rotating shaver on the tip.
Laser angioplasty
Laser angioplasty is a similar procedure to coronary angioplasty. It’s used to improve blood flow through blocked arteries. The catheter has a laser tip that vaporizes plaque in your blood vessels. In some cases, it’s used along with coronary angioplasty and stenting.
Alcohol septal ablation
Alcohol septal ablation is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. It involves injecting alcohol via a catheter in one of the coronary artery branches to cause scarring of thickened heart tissue.
Atrial septal defect closure
Atrial septal defect closure can be performed through cardiac catheterization. It’s used to treat atrial septal defects that don’t close properly after birth.
Patent foramen ovale closure
Patent foramen ovale closure is similar to atrial septal defect closure but is used to repair a hole in the heart that normally closes shortly after birth.
Percutaneous valve repair is used to repair or replace one of the valves in your heart. It can be performed through cardiac catheterization.
Balloon valvuloplasty
Balloon valvuloplasty involves using a catheter with a balloon on the tip to open a narrowed or stiff heart valve, often your mitral or aortic valve. It’s also called a
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)
TAVI is a procedure performed through cardiac catheterization to replace your aortic valve. Your surgeon may recommend it if you have a damaged aortic valve. It’s also called transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
Mitral valve repair
Your mitral valve is found between your left atrium and ventricle. Many different surgical techniques are available to treat problems with your mitral valve, including open surgery and repairs using a catheter. Catheter procedures include:
- Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral repair (TEER): During TEER, a portion of the leaflets in your valve are fused together with a catheter and special clips.
- Percutaneous mitral balloon commissurotomy (PMBC): PMBC is a repair performed with a catheter inserted into your bloodstream with a small balloon on the end.
Tricuspid valve repair
Your tricuspid valve is found between your right atrium and ventricle. You may need surgery if blood is backflowing through your valve or if your valve isn’t opening completely. Tricuspid valve repair may be performed through a traditional open surgery, a minimally invasive procedure, or using a balloon valvuloplasty with a catheter.
Electrical cardioversion
Cardioversion is used to treat certain arrhythmias. Electrical cardioversion restores your heartbeat with a shock of electricity.
Electrophysiology study
An electrophysiology study is a test that uses catheters and wires from inside the heart to look at electrical activities and diagnose arrhythmias.
Catheter ablation
Catheter ablation involves using cardiac catheterization and real-time X-rays for an electrode to destroy tissue in your heart using extremely cold gas or radio waves that create heat. It’s used to treat arrhythmias like supraventricular tachyarrhythmia.
Minimally invasive procedures often have quicker recoveries than traditional procedures, but complications are still possible.
Benefits
Minimally invasive procedures involve making smaller incisions than traditional surgery. Because of this, they have a quicker recovery time. They’re also a potential option for those for whom open heart surgery carries a great risk.
Risks and precautions
Every procedure, including minimally invasive procedures, carries the risk of complications. Sometimes, your condition or anatomy is not suitable for minimally invasive procedures. A cardiologist and cardiac surgeon can help determine if minimally invasive heart surgeries are appropriate for you.
Some types of minimally invasive heart procedures, like valve repair, are highly effective at treating heart problems. Your doctor can give you the best idea of what to expect in terms of success rates.
Your surgeon can tell you how to best prepare for heart surgery. They may recommend making lifestyle changes, such as:
- quitting smoking
- losing weight if you are overweight
- changing your diet
- stopping the use of certain medications
Your procedure depends on the type of operation you’re undergoing. For procedures that require cardiac catheterization, you can expect the following steps:
- You may receive medication to feel calm and relaxed.
- Your surgeon will make an incision in your groin or other area to access one of your blood vessels.
- They’ll thread the catheter through your bloodstream until it reaches your heart.
- They’ll perform whatever type of repair is needed.
Minimally invasive procedures often have quicker recovery than traditional surgery. Recovery times depend on the extent of your procedure. For example, people can often return to work within a week of non-emergency coronary angioplasty.
Here are some frequently asked questions people have about minimally invasive heart procedures.
How long do minimally invasive heart procedures take?
Many types of minimally invasive heart procedures can be performed quicker than their open-heart surgery counterparts. For example, a PCI can take from
What’s the difference between minimally invasive heart procedures and open-heart surgery?
Open heart surgery involves cutting through the ribcage and spreading the breastbone to access your heart. Minimally invasive procedures are either performed through a smaller incision or by threading a catheter through your bloodstream.
Many types of minimally invasive heart surgery are used to treat problems with your heart. These procedures generally have quicker recovery than traditional surgery.
Your doctor can best advise whether you may be a candidate for minimally invasive surgery or if you may benefit more from traditional surgery.