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Question:
If the mammary artery has grown to the breast plate, can further heart surgery be performed?
If a person had bypass surgery 20 years ago and the mammary artery has grown to the breast plate, and they need bypass surgery again, what other way can this surgery be performed without opening the chest?
submitted by Helen from Madisonville on 11/16/09
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiovascular surgeon, J. Michael Duncan, MD
Depending on where the mammary artery is "stuck" to the sternum, it may still be possible to open the chest in the same location as the original surgery. If this is not possible, it may be feasible to go through the left chest to do the bypasses.
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Updated November 2009
