open-heart surgery
Noun: A major surgical operation on the heart, during which the chest is surgically opened, the heart is temporarily stopped, and the patient's blood circulation is maintained by a heart-lung machine. This allows surgeons to operate directly on the exposed, non-beating heart, typically to repair or replace valves, correct congenital defects, or perform coronary artery bypasses.
This term is used as a countable noun to refer to the specific medical procedure. It is typically modified by adjectives describing the type or reason for the surgery. * The patient underwent open-heart surgery to replace a faulty aortic valve. * Advances in open-heart surgery have significantly reduced recovery times. * Coronary artery bypass grafting is a common form of open-heart surgery.
- As a Modifier: The term is often used attributively (like an adjective) before other nouns.
- The hospital has a dedicated open-heart surgery unit.
- He is a leading open-heart surgery specialist.
- Cardiac surgery (n): The broader field of surgery performed on the heart; open-heart surgery is a type of cardiac surgery.
- Bypass surgery (n): A common type of open-heart surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting).
- Valve replacement (n): A common procedure performed via open-heart surgery.
- Minimally invasive heart surgery (n): A contrasting surgical approach that does not require a large chest incision or stopping the heart, unlike traditional open-heart surgery.
- Cardiac operation (n)
- Major heart surgery (n)
- Closed-heart surgery (n): Heart surgery performed without opening the heart chambers, often while the heart is still beating.
- Minimally invasive cardiac procedure (n): Surgery performed through small incisions, often without the use of a heart-lung machine.
- heart surgery in which the rib cage is spread open, the heart is stopped and blood is detoured through a heart-lung machine while a heart valve or coronary artery is surgically repaired