By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Dr. Robert Fleming, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgeon with Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, notes that there have been many innovations in his specialty in his time in medicine.
"The heart-lung machine is a much safer machine these days than when I started 25 years ago," Fleming said. "As an example, bleeding was a big problem 25 years ago post-operatively."
Fleming said now only 1 to 3% of cases have any bleeding to be concerned with.
"A lot of our heart surgery that used to require the heart-lung machine, we can now do without it," Fleming said. "Obviously, that makes it safer."
The reason is because if you can keep the heart beating, then the only part subject to potential damage is the part being fixed. If you have to stop the heart, there is a chance parts of the muscle not even being worked on could have damage.
"That's about 20% of coronary bypass cases these days that can be done without the machine," Fleming said.
Fleming said the main thing to do to keep from needing surgical work on your heart or lungs is to stop smoking. That lifestyle change has done more to reduce his caseload than any other in recent years.
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