Cardiothoracic or open heart surgery is an operation to repair a problem inside the chest or heart. It is performed by a surgeon who opens the chest to get access to the heart.
An artery can be taken from the chest or the leg and can be grafted to route flow around the diseased vessel.
Another procedure done by open heart surgery is replacing a faulty valve. Valves in the heart are needed to stop blood from flowing back into parts of the heart after being pumped out of them. Many patients are seen in the Prairie Valve Clinic prior to valve surgery.
Another problem called an aortic aneurysm can also be repaired by open heart surgery. This is when there is a bulge in the main artery leaving the heart.
