MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- El Camino Hospital today announced that a minimally invasive procedure to harvest veins is now a standard practice for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) surgery at El Camino Hospital. The hospital is the first community hospital on the Peninsula to offer the procedure, known as endoscopic vein harvesting, as a standard with CABG surgery.
Many patients are surprised to learn that a coronary, or heart, bypass operation includes two surgical procedures. In addition to the bypass operation, where the surgeon uses a healthy blood vessel to “bypass” the blocked arteries of the heart, a second procedure is necessary, to remove (or “harvest”) a healthy blood vessel, usually from the leg, to construct the bypass grafts.
Traditionally, the vein is removed from the leg through a long incision that may stretch from ankle to groin. Often, patients who have this method of vein removal experience more postoperative pain from the leg incision than from the chest incision. Rehabilitation may be delayed because the longer leg incision may make it more difficult for the patient to stand or walk after surgery.
Recent advances in medical technology make it possible to perform the vein harvesting procedure in a different way, using very small incisions. This technology is now used as a standard in CABG surgery at El Camino Hospital.
“Endoscopic vessel harvesting has tremendous potential benefit for patients by reducing leg wound complications, as well as offering improved patient mobility and a much better cosmetic result,” said Marc Pelletier, M.D., medical director of cardiac surgery at El Camino Hospital. “We are pleased to offer this less-invasive option as a standard of care to all our CABG surgery patients and we feel strongly that this should be the standard of care at all centers when a saphenous vein is required.”
Clinical studies have shown that patients who undergo endoscopic vessel harvesting tend to recover more quickly than those who undergo traditional vessel harvesting. Additionally, they may be at a lower risk for developing post-operative infections due to the smaller incision.
About El Camino Hospital:
El Camino Hospital features state-of-the-art cardiovascular services and a team of dedicated doctors, nurses and physician assistants who provide high quality care in areas ranging from prevention and diagnosis to advanced endovascular procedures and cardiac surgeries. El Camino Hospital’s heart specialists are leaders in the development of minimally invasive techniques, and provide cardiac and vascular expertise in California’s high-tech Silicon Valley.
Consistently ranked as a leading hospital in the area, El Camino Hospital recently received the highest ranking in the California Hospital Experience Survey and earned a “Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence” by HealthGrades, which annually identifies the top five percent of U.S. hospitals for clinical quality. The hospital has received national recognition for several pioneering programs in the areas of cardiac treatment, radiation oncology and maternity services. For more than 43 years, El Camino Hospital has been distinguished by its high-caliber staff and affiliated physicians, comprehensive and innovative services, and long history of responding to the needs of the community it serves.
El Camino Hospital
CONTACT: Jennifer Barfoot of WeissComm Partners, +1-415-692-4223, for ElCamino Hospital