IN THIS ISSUE

From the Winter 2006 Issue

Patients Talk

Patients Return to Active Lives
After Beating Heart Bypass

For many people who need bypass surgery, there are now two choices. One is traditional bypass, which has been used for several decades. Another newer form of bypass is called beating heart bypass.

How would you decide between the two types of bypass surgeries? If you're like Warren Torgerson, you have time to talk to your doctors about it. If you're like Eliz Greene—and you need emergency surgery—your doctor weighs the options and makes the best choice for you. LifeBeat Online recently spoke with Warren and Eliz. Both had the newer type of surgery, beating heart bypass.

Bypass surgery (also called coronary artery bypass grafting) is done to improve blood flow to your heart muscle. In bypass surgery, the doctor creates new pathways around blocked arteries by sewing—or "grafting"—segments of unblocked blood vessels in place. Find out more in Traditional and Beating Heart Bypass: What's the Difference?

Warren's Story

Warren Torgerson, 65, and his wife, Ruth, live in Wausau, Wisconsin. A recently retired math teacher, Warren has returned to the many outdoor activities that he loves.

How did you and your doctor decide on beating heart bypass?

I was having chest pain in late 2004 when I went in for my regular check-up. Because of the pain, my doctor sent me for a cardiac catheterization and they found a blockage. I also had a blockage 10 years earlier. At that time I had a stent implanted to help keep the artery open. That's what I expected this time, too.

Instead my doctor said I needed a bypass, since two arteries were blocked. I was surprised because I had always been so active. And my cholesterol was where it should be. But I also trusted my doctor.

Dr. Johnkoski, my surgeon, advised beating heart bypass because of the success he's had with other patients. He said it's usually faster, since it takes time for the patient to go on and off the heart-lung machine. And he mentioned there may be less trauma to your system by not using the heart-lung machine.

I knew that generally the less time you're in surgery, the better off you are with recovery. I considered all of this information when deciding on beating heart bypass. Plus I had confidence in my doctor's recommendation.

What was your recovery like?

I entered the hospital early on a Tuesday morning and came home about 6 pm on Wednesday. I rested at first but then started walking as much as I could. Ruth took some time off work, and she was very supportive as I recuperated. Gradually I was able to return to my other exercises.

Seven weeks later I started cross-country skiing and was out several times before the snow disappeared. Three months after the surgery I did a backpacking trip. Like the other four fellows, I carried food, fishing gear, and everything else I needed in my backpack. I did fine.

Now—a year after my surgery—I'm back to skiing, splitting wood, bicycling, motorcycling, and doing exercises like push-ups. Last summer I built a garage at my daughter's place. I still do work on the family farm where my father lived. So I keep pretty active.

I know that regular bypass surgery can work really well, too. My father had bypass surgery in 1975, and he did great for 30 years. But I'm glad I had the newer type of bypass surgery. I can still do all I want, so I'm a happy camper.

Eliz's Story

Eliz Greene, 40, lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Five-year-old twin daughters, Grace and Callie, keep Eliz and her husband, Clay, on the run.

When did you learn that you needed bypass surgery?

I was in the right place when I noticed heart attack symptoms: I was already in the hospital. I was 7 months pregnant with twins and had been in the hospital for a month because of pre-term labor. I had chest discomfort but I thought it was heartburn, since that was common during my pregnancy. A few minutes later it was real pain. Then I got sick to my stomach.

The nurses initially thought I was in labor, but the monitor showed no contractions. My doctor knew something was wrong. She quickly ordered an electrocardiogram, which didn't look right to her. She ordered more tests, but before they were done I had a sudden cardiac arrest.

I was without a pulse for 10 minutes, although they did cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR]. Some of the doctors weren't sure if they could use a defibrillator on me without hurting the babies. My doctor was confident it would be OK, so they shocked my chest. My heart started beating again, and the babies were fine, too.

Soon after that the doctors did a cardiac catheterization. The test showed that one of my heart arteries needed to be repaired with a bypass.

First, though, they did an emergency cesarean to deliver the babies. So, very soon after my heart attack, our daughters were born. They were 7 weeks premature but were fine.

For me, regular bypass wasn't an option because my doctor said I might not survive. If I had been on the heart-lung machine there surely would have been bleeding at the cesarean incision site.

What was your recovery like?

Just 17 hours after my bypass, Clay took me in a wheelchair to see our girls. If I had been on the heart-lung machine during the surgery, I still would have been in bed, breathing through a tube at that point.

With two surgeries, I normally would have been home in a week. But they needed to adjust my medication, so I was in the hospital for 10 days. I can honestly say that recovering from cesarean and open-heart surgery was much easier than being pregnant with twins!

I feel lucky that things went so well that day. They were able to use the defibrillator on me, and I came through both surgeries fine. My recovery was quick, too. Most important, we have two incredible daughters.

I'm exercising more now—I've done four sprint triathlons. That's a 0.5-mile swim, 12.5-mile bike ride, and a 3.5-mile run. Now I'm just working on improving my time.

Plus I have a beautiful chest scar. Clay and I saw my surgeon and his wife at an American Heart Association fundraiser. I was wearing a low-cut gown and I pointed out to him how good his work was. I'm proud of my chest scar. It's my badge of honor.