Definition

Noun: A minimally invasive surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease. The surgery creates a new pathway (bypass) for blood to flow around a blocked coronary artery. It is performed using specialized small instruments and miniature cameras inserted through small incisions (ports). During the operation, the heart is intentionally stopped, and a heart-lung machine circulates and oxygenates the patient's blood.

Usage

This term is used in medical contexts to describe a specific, technologically advanced surgical technique. * The patient was a good candidate for port-access coronary bypass surgery due to the minimally invasive approach. * Advances in port-access coronary bypass surgery have reduced recovery times for many patients.

Advanced Usage

• The procedure is often contrasted with traditional "open-heart" coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), which requires a large incision through the breastbone (sternotomy).
• It may be referred to in medical literature by abbreviations like port-access CABG or PACAB.

Variants and Related Words

• Minimally invasive cardiac surgery: A broader category of heart surgeries, including port-access procedures, performed through small incisions.
• Endoscopic coronary artery bypass (Endo-CAB): A similar minimally invasive technique.
• Heart-lung machine (cardiopulmonary bypass machine): The apparatus that takes over the function of the heart and lungs during the surgery.

Synonyms

• Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting.
• Keyhole heart bypass surgery (a less formal term).

Related Phrases

• To undergo port-access bypass surgery: The common phrasing for a patient receiving this operation.
  • He will undergo port-access bypass surgery next week.

Noun

1. heart surgery in which a coronary bypass is performed by the use of small instruments and tiny cameras threaded through small incisions while the heart is stopped and blood is pumped through a heart-lung machine