Cardiothoracic surgery for adults

Your cardiologist may refer you to a cardiothoracic surgeon if a surgical intervention such as heart valve repair or replacement surgery, a coronary artery bypass procedure, or other surgical procedure is called for to treat your condition.

Increasingly sophisticated technology and surgical techniques mean that traditional open heart operations can now more often be performed using a keyhole incision. This is a significant advancement in heart surgery as it eliminates the need for large incisions or cutting through the breastbone, thereby offering you considerable benefits.

Robotic assisted cardiothoracic surgery, introduced in South Africa in 2022, represents the latest advances in minimally invasive surgery, bringing patients even more benefits.

Coronary artery bypass grafting procedures

When you have severe coronary artery disease, your arteries are narrowed with plaque. This may result in a blockage in one or more of your arteries, leading to a heart attack. When your arteries are so blocked or diseased that they cannot be treated by means of a minimally invasive angioplasty or a stent procedure, a cardiothoracic surgeon will perform a coronary artery bypass grafting procedure, commonly referred to as a heart bypass.

  • In this procedure, a healthy vein or artery is taken from your chest or leg and grafted to bypass the blocked or diseased area of the artery to restore blood flow to the heart muscle. In severe cases, double, triple or even more bypass procedures may need to be done to circumvent the narrowed, blocked or diseased arteries.
  • Following the procedure, you will likely spend a few days recovering in an intensive care or high care unit and your progress will be carefully monitored until you are well enough to be transferred to a general ward and then discharged.

Heart valve repair or replacement

The heart has four valves, and if these become damaged through age, injury or disease, heart valve repair or replacement surgery may be needed. Heart valve surgery is conventionally done by dividing the breastbone, as part of a procedure known as a sternotomy, to gain access to the heart.

Minimally invasive techniques for valve repair or replacement are increasingly being used in appropriate cases. This is making it possible for persons who were at risk given their age, frailty, or associated health conditions if they were to undergo traditional surgery, to have the condition addressed. This also means a shorter hospital stay and recovery time.