Open Heart Surgery Diagram After Chest Incision And Sternotomy
February 12th, 2008Every few days, I see a picture or image on the Internet that REALLY captures my attention. Many times, those pictures are diagrams and illustrations that relate to heart valve surgery.
As I remember it, before my aortic valve replacement and pulmonary valve replacement surgery, I had a difficult time grasping what actually occurs during the operation.
That said, I have included many pictures, drawings and images in this blog (and in my book) to help you better contemplate what occurs during the pre- and post-operative heart valve replacement or heart valve repair experience.
Your responses have so far been very positive. So, I am going to continue posting many more pictures – including human heart diagram, animated anatomy of heart functioning, mitral valve replacement diagram and more.
Above, you will see a very interesting diagram of the patient’s chest following the incision and median sternotomy – the sternum is already broken. As you can see, the surgeon now has full access to operate on the heart once the patient is placed on the heart-lung machine (bypass) if required. Then, the heart can be stopped, cooled and then fixed!
I hope you don’t think this is too gruesome. I found it educational and thought you might like to see an open heart surgery illustration of the chest during surgery. If you would prefer not to see stuff like this, please leave a reply below.
Keep on tickin!
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| About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates clinical research with the personal experiences of 135 former patients to help future patients and their caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here. |
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