By Murray Sherriffs
A Canadian-led study has determined that a minimally invasive technique to perform bypass surgery is as safe as the decades-old standard procedure.
Published in The Lancet medical journal, the analysis reveals patients who underwent the less invasive procedure for multiple blocked arteries, recovered faster than their counterparts who underwent the traditional procedure.
University of Ottawa Heart Institute cardiac surgeon Dr. Marc Ruel says that medical teams performed both types of surgeries during a randomized trial involving 170 heart bypass patients in six different countries, including Canada, between 2018 and 2024.
Patients who underwent the less invasive procedure needed fewer blood transfusions and spent less time on a breathing machine.
