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Heart Disease In The News Off -pump bypass surgery reduces clots to brain A long-known but little-discussed phenomenon associated with standard coronary artery bypass surgery is the showering of the brain with "microemboli" (tiny blood clots) while the patient is on the heart bypass machine (a pump that takes the place of the heart during the operation). Such microemboli have been blamed for the so-called "pump head" syndrome that occurs in some patients after bypass surgery - a (usually mild) loss of memory and cognitive function. An article in Chest this week shows a significant reduction in microemboli to the brain, as well as generally improved clinical outcomes, with the use of the relatively new technique of "off-pump bypass surgery." With off-pump surgery, the heart bypass machine is not used. Such off-pump surgery may ultimately prove safer than standard bypass surgery techniques. Take our poll: Should doctors tell patients of the potential health benefits of alcohol? |
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