Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass (MIDCAB) is a surgical treatment for coronary heart disease that is a less invasive variant of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG).
MIDCAB gains surgical access to the heart with a smaller incision than other types of CABG. In this procedure, a surgeon performs coronary bypass through several smaller incisions in the chest. This technique is used only when certain conditions exist. If multiple coronary arteries need to be worked on, it's best to use the conventional approach. Variations of minimally invasive surgery may be called port-access or keyhole surgery.
Condition Details:
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), more commonly known as a heart attack, is a medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted, most commonly due to rupture of a vulnerable plaque. The resulting ischemia or oxygen shortage causes damage and potential death of heart tissue. It is a medical emergency, and the leading cause of death for both men and women all over the world. The most common symptom is chest pain or chest discomfort, but these may also be mild or even absent, and in many cases even the patient is uncertain if they are having a heart attack. The classic fatal misdiagnosis of heart attack is a person believing that their chest pain is simply heartburn (i.e., reflux, indigestion, GERD, etc.), and failing to seek medical attention for what turns out to be a heart attack. Similarly, people can mistakenly believe they have angina, when it is actually a heart attack.
