Heart Failure
Surgery
People who have heart failure with chest pain (angina) or who have had a heart attack in the past may benefit from coronary artery bypass surgery or angioplasty to open clogged arteries.
Some people may have surgery to repair specific causes of heart failure, such as damaged valves. In cases that have a specific treatable cause, surgery sometimes can greatly improve or eliminate heart failure symptoms.
Doctors may only consider a heart transplant if you have severe, life-limiting symptoms of heart failure that do not respond to available treatments. In addition, you must be unlikely to benefit from coronary artery bypass surgery, and you must not have any other serious medical conditions that would reduce your life expectancy.
Surgery Choices
- Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery
- Angioplasty (with or without other procedures, such stents or atherectomy)
- Heart transplant
For more information on procedures to restore blood flow (called revascularization) to the heart muscle, see the topic Coronary Artery Disease.
What to Think About
Some people with heart failure may want to consider specific testing to find out whether they would benefit from angioplasty or bypass surgery. The decision to have more testing is difficult. It is not clear that restoring blood flow (revascularization) improves heart failure symptoms and prolongs life in people who do not have chest pain.
More information
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| Author: | Robin Parks, MS | Last Updated: August 25, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology | |
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