National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Heart Surgery is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Heart Surgery
Also called: Cardiac surgery
Each day, thousands of people in the U.S. have heart surgery. There are many different types of heart surgery. Surgeries may be used to
- Repair or replace the valves that control blood flow through the heart's chambers
- Bypass or widen blocked or narrowed arteries to the heart
- Repair aneurysms, or bulges in the aorta, which can be deadly if they burst
- Implant devices to regulate heart rhythms
- Destroy small amounts of tissue that disturb electrical flow through the heart
- Make channels in the heart muscle to allow blood from a heart chamber directly into the heart muscle
- Boost the heart's pumping power with muscles taken from the back or abdomen
- Replace the damaged heart with a heart from a donor
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Start Here
- Cardiac Procedures and Surgeries(American Heart Association)
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Heart Surgery(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Open Heart Surgery - What to Expect
(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
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Learn More
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Heart Surgery Overview(Texas Heart Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
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Latest News
- Kids Who Need Heart Surgery May Fare Better at Busier Hospitals(01/09/2012, HealthDay)
- Life-Saving Prescriptions Lagging in Heart Patients(11/17/2011, Reuters Health)
- Pneumonia Most Common Infection After Heart Surgery(11/15/2011, HealthDay)
- Pneumonia Most Common Infection After Heart Surgery(11/15/2011, American Heart Association)
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Rehabilitation/Recovery
- How Will I Be Monitored After Heart Surgery?(American Heart Association) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
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MedlinePlus: Cardiac Rehabilitation(National Library of Medicine)
- Also available in Spanish
- What to Expect After Heart Surgery(Society of Thoracic Surgeons) - PDF
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Specific Conditions
- Limited-Access Heart Surgery(Texas Heart Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Maze Surgery(Texas Heart Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization(Texas Heart Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Valve Repair or Replacement(Texas Heart Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
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What Is Heart Valve Surgery?
(American Heart Association)
- PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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Related Issues
- Alcohol and Heart Surgery(Cleveland Clinic Foundation)
- Dressler's Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Herbal Supplements and Surgery(Cleveland Clinic Foundation)
- How Can I Prepare for Heart Surgery?(American Heart Association) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Surgery for Infective Endocarditis(Cleveland Clinic Foundation)
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What Happens After Heart Surgery?(American Heart Association)
- PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- What Is a Thoracic Surgeon?(Society of Thoracic Surgeons)
- Return to top
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Tutorials
- Open Heart Surgery - What to Expect(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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Videos
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MedlinePlus: Surgery Videos
- Webcasts of surgical procedures
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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MedlinePlus: Surgery Videos
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Surgery(National Institutes of Health)
- Return to top
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Surgery
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Cardiac Glossary(American Heart Association)
- Deciphering Heart Disease Medspeak(Medical Library Association) - PDF
- Heart Surgery Terms(Society of Thoracic Surgeons)
- Return to top
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Organizations
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MedlinePlus Magazine
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Women
- Heart Surgery Options(Women's Heart Foundation)
- Return to top
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Patient Handouts
- Aortic valve surgery - open
- Also available in Spanish
- Heart valve surgery
- Also available in Spanish
- Heart valve surgery - discharge
- Also available in Spanish
- Mitral valve surgery - minimally invasive
- Also available in Spanish
- Mitral valve surgery - open
- Also available in Spanish
- Open heart surgery
- Also available in Spanish
- Pediatric heart surgery - discharge
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA