Cardiothoracic Surgery

Cardiothoracic surgery is a specialty dedicated to surgery of the chest. The London Bridge Hospital carries out many procedures that deal with a broad range of cardiac and thoracic disease; among them is the coronary artery bypass.

The coronary artery bypass is used to treat coronary artery disease. Although usually involving ‘open heart’ surgery, new techniques are making the procedure only moderately invasive. The operation involves taking a blood vessel from the chest, leg or arm and relocating it to bypass a narrowed or blocked coronary artery to improve blood flow to the heart and reduce the chance of a heart attack.

The procedure, like most cardiothoracic surgery, takes advantage of our clinical perfusion facilities. A skilled perfusionist controls equipment that supports, or temporarily replaces, the patient’s heart and lung function during the operation.

A useful site you may wish to visit is our Cardiopulmonary website which focuses on dedicated respiratory/cardiac assessment, specifically dysfunction associated with breathing problems, including shortness of breath, exercise intolerance and compromised sleep.