Surgery for congenital heart defects
Some congenital heart defects are treated with surgery to help repair structural damage to the heart. Moderate to severe defects often are treated surgically soon after birth.
Some types of surgery are more invasive and take longer to recover from than others. The type of surgery used depends on the specific type of defect; sometimes more than one procedure is needed to repair the damage. Separate surgeries may be done over time, or a combination of procedures may be used, such as heart catheterization followed by surgery.
Atherosclerosis -- hardening and narrowing of the arteries -- gets a lot of bad press, with good reason. This progressive process silently and slowly blocks arteries, putting blood flow at risk. Atherosclerosis is the usual cause of heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral vascular disease -- what together are called "cardiovascular disease." Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer in America, with more than 800,000 deaths in 2005. How does atherosclerosis develop? Who gets it, and why?...
Read the What Is Atherosclerosis? article > >
After surgery, it is possible for symptoms to return or for complications to develop later. In these cases, more surgeries also may be needed.
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