Question (Jul 21, 2009 at 5:16am)

Jul. 21, 2009 at 5:16am

I just read a newspaper article about bypass surgery techniques that is disturbing. A large study showed that people who had a leg vein harvested with small "porthole" cuts have a greater risk of heart attack, death or another bypass surgery in the next 3 years than those who had a long leg incision. What's this all about?

Posted in Questions by Anonymous

Comments (1)

Joe says:

When I had bypass surgery in 1977, a long incision was made in my leg to harvest the vein needed for the surgery. It was painful, left a big scar and often could lead to infections. Today, that method has given way to so-called "porthole" cuts. Instead of a long incision, the doctor makes a small cut (a "porthole" in the leg and uses a tiny scope and tools to tunnel along the vein and pull it out through the "porthole."

What the new study found is that this process may damage the vein so that it doesn't hold up as well over the next three years, resulting in higher rates of heart attacks, deaths and bypass surgeries.

More research is needed to confirm the results, but in the meantime, here is my advice. First, if you have concerns, speak with your doctor. Next, concentrate on what is your top priority - keeping your bypass healthy and working. And that means developing healthy lifestyle habits: eating well, exercising regularly, managing your stress, not smoking and developing a positive attitude. Those are things you CAN control and that's where your effort should be.
1 | Jul. 21, 2009 at 5:29am

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