Here’s an easy question: would you rather have your breastbone split open during heart surgery or not? I’ll take option two, no question. And thanks to physicians at Sunnybrook’s Schulich Heart Centre, many patients requiring bypass surgery are now benefitting from this minimally invasive technique. Patients like Emil Boychuk.
Emil is an avid runner, and his lean frame stands in stark contrast with the heart problems he’s experienced. After suffering chest pains a few years ago, Emil’s blood pressure was found to be high. Further tests found blockage requiring stents. But that wasn’t the end of the trouble. A few months later, more blockage was detected, and this time, Emil would need bypass surgery. Luckily, his heart surgeon, Dr. Fuad Moussa, offered him a new type of surgery.
To really appreciate the new surgery, you have to picture the traditional way bypass surgery is done. First, the chest is completely opened up through a long incision to expose the heart. Then, the heart and lungs are kept operating by a machine. Add to that a long recovery and a heightened risk of complications, like infection, and you start to appreciate what goes into this common, yet complex, procedure.
Now compare that to doing the surgery through a small incision, about four centimeters wide, around the left breast, with the heart and lungs working on their own. Emil was the second Sunnybrook patient to have this procedure done, and is grateful that it allowed him to get back to normal living sooner. Things like driving a car, and of course, running again. In September, Emil completed a half-marathon, aptly achieved on World Heart Day. How fitting!
Dr. Moussa is now leading research to see if this minimally invasive technique can be used on more patients. Right now, it’s only offered by a handful of Canadian centres to patients who qualify. Hopefully, if things go well, this will become another option to help patients like Emil, hit the ground running.
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