Guide to Heart Disease

Q. Can a patient, who has developed left ventricular failure or congestive cardiac failure, be helped by coronary “by-pass” surgery ?
A. No, the established case of cardiac failure cannot be helped by this form of surgery. The heart muscle has already become weak and certain fibrotic changes have developed in the muscle which cannot be rejuvenated. In a few patients, there is what is known as ventricular aneurysm (bulge) which contributes greatly to cardiac failure. The aneurysm can be removed by surgical means and this type of surgery can be of great help. This operation, no doubt, carries significant risk by itself. However, it can be thought of in an intractable case of cardiac failure. The diagnosis of aneurysm can be reasonably and safely made by nuclear cardiac study and by two dimensional echocardiographic study.

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