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Beating Heart Bypass Surgery Alternatives
Some patients wish to avoid beating heart bypass surgery. Alternatives include medication, balloon angioplasty, and stent placement. Medications can improve symptoms and help your heart beat more regularly, but cannot restore blood flow to damaged areas. Balloon angioplasty and stents increase blood flow, but are not an option for everyone. These factors should be discussed with your doctor before pursuing beating heart bypass alternatives.
There are three other possible treatments for blocked coronary arteries other than beating heart bypass surgery. Alternatives include:
- Medication
- Balloon angioplasty
- Placement of a stent.
Depending on your overall health, medications can be used to treat the symptoms of blocked coronary arteries. They may help your heart beat more regularly, and can decrease the heart's workload by removing extra fluid from your system.
Other medications help control health problems that can cause or worsen the symptoms of blocked coronary arteries. These problems can be associated with:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia)
- Other health concerns -- like smoking.
While medications may help relieve the symptoms of blocked arteries, it's important to remember that they don't restore blood flow to the part of the heart that isn't getting enough blood.
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD