Re bypass ????

[rizzo1969]

In 1993 i had Quadruple Bypass  in the year 2000 my by pass grafts began to close . Cardiologist began to insert stents in my bypass grafts resulting in 27 to date. Cardiologist tells me that no surgeon would touch me for another bypass   Reaasons being no where to bypass to and arteries are too small . Should i see a surgeon regardless?????

[ed34]

There is so much research into stem cells at the moment and new ground is being literally uncovered daily. I firmly believe that stem cell therapy will be a working and good option in the next few years. Stem cells, be it for vascular formation, or cardiac tissue repair, will all be delivered via a catheter. They have already discovered the heart does have stem cells, but for some reason are switched off. In rats they have taken those stem cells, switched them on, multiplied them, reimplanted them and the damage from heart attack has been repaired. We are living in a very exciting age where our knowledge is accelerating and I know if I had suffered my heart attacks twenty years before I did, I very likely wouldn't be here to type this.

[PattiandJohn]

Hello I wish I could tell you something different, but he's probably correct. My husband has an excellent cardio doctor and he told him the same thing, that additional bypass wouldnt work they would just close. As Ed said try to reduce your risk as much as possible. If it were me would ask if a heart transplant would be a possibility in the future or do as we are and seek stem cell treatment. There are numerous clinical trials here in the states if you have a EF of 45% or less. You can go to clinicaltrials.gov to see if you qualify for any of them.

[ed34]

It sounds as though your cardiologist is probably correct. By the number of stents you've had, it sounds like the majority of your coronary vessels are coated with plaque. For a long lasting graft to work, you ideally need a clean area of artery (no stents/plaque) to graft onto. If your grafts only lasted 7 years, then you are not really an ideal candidate for successful bypass. What you need to do is try and establish what is causing your disease to progress so badly. How is your blood pressure, how are your cholesterol levels, how is your diet, do you smoke, do you suffer from high stress levels. I think your main goal is to try and reduce the risks where possible if you haven't done so already.