Cardiovascular surgery includes operations on the heart and blood vessels of the body to repair structural defects of the cardiovascular system. If a patient's heart condition poses a significant risk to their health and livelihood, surgery is the preferred treatment option. There are more than a half million heart surgeries performed in the U.S. each year for heart problems. Heart surgery may be performed on both children and adults. Heart surgery can reduce symptoms, improve quality of life, and increase lifespan (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute). There are many different types of heart surgery. Surgeries are performed to:

Repair or replace valves controlling the direction of blood flow through the heart's chambers

Bypass or widen blocked or narrowed arteries to the heart

Destroy small amounts of tissue that disturb electrical flow through the heart

Repair damaged or abnormal structures of the heart

Implant medical devices that are used to control the heartbeat or support heart function and blood flow

Make channels in the heart muscle to allow blood...

Cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S., may require cardiovascular surgery for treatment. Other cardiovascular surgeries include surgical treatment of aortic aneurysm, transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMR), carotid artery problems and lung and esophagus problems (Schools in the U.S.A.).
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the most common type of heart surgery for adults. During CABG, the cardiovascular surgeon uses healthy arteries or veins taken from another part of the body to go around or bypass blocked heart arteries. The benefits of CABG include relief of chest pain and reduced risk of heart attack (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute).

There have been many improvements to CABG since the…