1. Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)

What is it :
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a surgical procedure used to treat severe coronary artery disease, where the arteries supplying blood to the heart become narrowed or blocked.

How it works:
During CABG, a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body—usually the leg, arm, or chest—is grafted onto the blocked coronary artery, creating a new pathway for blood flow.

Benefits:

• Improves blood supply to the heart
• Relieves chest pain (angina)
• Reduces the risk of heart attack

CABG is usually recommended when medications or angioplasty are insufficient to manage coronary artery disease.

2. Aortic Valve Replacement (AVR)

What is it :
Aortic valve replacement is a surgery to treat a diseased or damaged aortic valve, which controls blood flow from the heart’s left ventricle to the aorta and the rest of the body.

Why it’s needed:
This procedure is necessary when the valve is narrowed (aortic stenosis) or leaky (aortic regurgitation), causing symptoms such as:

• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Risk of heart failure

Procedure:

The damaged valve is replaced with either:

• Mechanical valve
• Biological valve (from animal tissue)

AVR can be performed through traditional open-heart surgery or a less invasive method called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), depending on the patient’s health and risk profile.

3. Mitral Valve Replacement (MVR)

What is it :
Mitral valve replacement is a surgical procedure to treat a malfunctioning mitral valve, which controls blood flow between the left atrium and left ventricle.

Why it’s needed:
The surgery is necessary when the valve flaps:

• Become thick or stiff, causing stenosis
• Don’t close tightly, causing regurgitation (backward blood flow)

Symptoms of mitral valve disease may include:

• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Irregular heartbeat
  

Procedure:

During MVR, the damaged valve is removed and replaced with:

• Mechanical valve
• Biological tissue valve

This surgery can be performed via traditional open-heart surgery or, in select cases, minimally invasive techniques, depending on the patient’s condition and severity of the valve disease.

Dr. Ashwin Kumar
MBBS | MS (Gen Surgery) | MCh (Cardio-Thoracic Surgery)
Consultant – Cardiothoracic Surgeon