Heart surgeons use different techniques depending on your heart issue and overall health.  

The main types of heart surgery are: 

• Open-heart surgery: The surgeon makes a large incision down the middle of your chest to reach your heart. Your heart is stopped, and your blood supply is connected to a heart-lung bypass pump. This machine does the work of your heart while the surgeon operates.
• Beating heart surgery: Also called off-pump surgery, the surgery doesn't require stopping the heart. Your surgeon operates while your heart is beating. It may still require a large, chest incision.
• Minimally invasive heart surgery: Instead of making an incision in your chest, the surgeon makes a series of small cuts. They insert small tools and use these tools to do the operation.
• Cardiac catheterization: These procedures use a tiny wire and tools inserted into your blood vessels to perform the procedure. We often call these ​interventional heart procedures. 

With heart surgery, cardiac surgeons can treat: 

• Heart valve problems: Heart valve surgery can repair or replace valves affected by ​​heart valve disease.
• Blocked blood flow: With procedures like ​coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), we can reroute blocked arteries to prevent or treat a ​heart attack. (This is sometimes called heart bypass surgery.)
• Heart rhythm conditions: Some ​​arrhythmias may require heart ablation surgery to destroy the tissue causing the abnormal heartbeat.
• Aortic aneurysm: We often catch ​​aortic aneurysms and do surgery before they rupture. If it ruptures or dissects, emergency aortic aneurysm surgery can repair the damage. (This is also a type of ​thoracic surgery.)
• Heart arrhythmias and heart failure: ​Implanted heart devices like pacemakers and internal defibrillators require a small surgery to implant. LVADs, which treat heart failure, need a larger surgery.
• Congenital heart conditions: Heart surgeons can fix heart issues you're born with, like a hole in the heart wall. These health issues are often ​​treated in childhood when they're first discovered.

Is heart surgery different from thoracic surgery? 

A cardiac (heart) surgeon is an expert in surgery related to the heart and the heart's blood vessels.  

A thoracic surgeon can treat many health issues that affect the chest, lungs and esophagus.  

Cardiothoracic surgeons can perform any of these surgeries. At Carilion, we have a team of cardiothoracic surgeons. This means we can treat health issues affecting your heart, lungs, chest and esophagus. 

Learn more about the types of ​thoracic surgery we do. 

In some cases, we can do many ​​interventional heart procedures instead of surgery, including replacing the heart valves. These procedures use catheters to reach the heart instead of making incisions. These are cardiac catheterization procedures.  

Before you have surgery, you may have a cardiac catheterization procedure. For example, you may need an angiogram (a catheter procedure) to help diagnose coronary artery disease. If it shows a severe blockage, you may need heart bypass surgery. 

Part of the conversation you'll have with your doctor is whether you're healthy enough for heart surgery. Open-heart surgery has a long recovery and isn't the right choice for everyone. You may opt for less invasive procedures or managing your heart issues with medicine.  

Your recovery depends on the type of surgery. Open-heart surgery recovery takes longer than recovery from minimally invasive surgery. 

After your heart surgery, you'll spend some time in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). Here, a care team will look after you 24/7. 

If you've had open-heart surgery, you'll spend around 5 days in the hospital. You'll learn how to care for your incisions and what activity restrictions you have. 

Once home, it can take 6 to 12 weeks to feel fully recover from open-heart surgery. If you've had minimally invasive surgery, you may be able to return to activities within 2 to 4 weeks. 

Once your doctor clears you for ​cardiac rehabilitation, you can increase your activity level. Cardiac rehab is exercise you do under the supervision of a physical therapist. It helps you keep getting better.

ECMO support 

Some people need extra support either before or after surgery. At Carilion, we offer a treatment called ECMO. This stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.  

An ECMO machine that does the work of your heart and lungs so they can rest. 

We have a special program that supports people on ECMO.