Atherosclerosis and Bypass Surgery

Arteriosclerosis, with its complications such as heart attacks, strokes and peripheral vascular occlusion, remains the most common cause of death worldwide. Alongside operations on the arteries in the neck and pelvic/leg area, heart bypass surgery was therefore the most common procedure in our team for decades. Even though patients were getting older and had more concomitant diseases, we were able to steadily reduce the surgical risk, in recent years to less than 2%. In Germany, the MHH was a pioneer in performing minimally invasive procedures for this operation. This also applies to the use of arteries instead of leg veins as bypass material to improve the long-term prognosis.

A Surgeon's View on the Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis - EN

In dialog with a student during a bypass operation the possible pathogenesis  as an “outside-in” theory is discussed.

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Aortic dissection is adisease of the vasa vasorum - EN

The work describes the connection and common pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis, aneurysms and and dissection as a consequence of reduced function of vasa vasorum.

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PCI and CABG for Treating Stable Coronary Artery Disease: JACC Review Topic of the Week - EN

 Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are considered revascularization procedures, but only CABG can prolong life in stable coronary artery disease.

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Perspectives of operative myocardial revascularization minimally invasive coronary bypass an alternative? - EN

Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass surgery has evolved as a reliable method to perform left internal mammary artery (LIMA) bypass surgery to the LAD. This novel technique represents a synthesis of known approaches to a less invasive, minimally invasive surgical approach.

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Total Arterial Revascularization with Radial Artery and Internal Thoracic Artery T-Grafts Is Associated with Superior Long-Term Survival in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting - EN

Compelling evidence encourages the use of the radial artery (RA) as the second arterial graft in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, its long-term benefits remain disputed. Here, we show improved long-term survival.

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Prof. dr. dr. h.c. Axel Haverich