Surgical Approaches

Any one of a number of surgeries may be a promising treatment option for patients whose heart failure is related to a cause that can be corrected surgically, such as the blockage of an artery. In such cases, one of the following time-tested surgical procedures may be necessary to treat a specific problem in the patient:

  • Valve repair or replacement
  • Angioplasty
  • Bypass surgery

Surgical management of heart failure itself, however, is relatively uncharted territory, perhaps because efforts to address the weakened heart surgically have been largely unfruitful.