New heart bypass procedure offers quick recovery

"Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the USA, taking almost 700 thousand lives each year. For some, bypass surgery to fix blocked arteries is the only option. But fear of a bloody, invasive surgery is no longer a reason to avoid the procedure. Mick Foster couldn't even go for a walk with his girlfriend without worrying about having another heart attack. 'My life expectancy would probably have been early 50s,' he said. By 40, Mick had survived two heart attacks and his chest pains returned. His choices - bypass surgery or live with a ticking time bomb in his chest. He says, 'I could never get past the idea of chest open, people's hands inside there playing around.' Doctors presented another option - minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass or midcab. Stephen Ball, a Cardiothoracic Surgeon with Vanderbilt Medical Center, says, 'It's radically different than conventional bypass surgery.'" - Scripps