Cardiac Surgery

This collection features cardiac surgeons discussing coronary artery disease treatment: coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) versus stenting, hybrid revascularization, robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and how to select a cardiac surgery team.

Patients commonly ask: Is bypass surgery or stenting the better option for this specific pattern of coronary artery disease? Could a robotic or minimally invasive approach work for my case, and what would that realistically change about recovery? What does a hybrid approach, combining bypass and stenting, offer that either technique alone does not? How should a patient and family realistically judge and choose a cardiac surgery team before agreeing to an operation?

The choice between bypass surgery, stenting, and hybrid revascularization depends on the exact pattern of coronary disease and other health problems, particularly diabetes, and experienced surgeons can reasonably disagree. An independent panel of academic cardiac surgeons and cardiologists can review the angiogram and records and lay out the realistic options with their reasoning, in plain, non-technical language the whole family can follow.

To have a cardiac surgery decision reviewed this way, see the medical second opinion page.