Left ventricular reconstructive surgery is a procedure sometimes used to treat heart failure. Scarring sometimes occurs when a heart attack occurs in the left ventricle (left lower pumping chamber of the heart). The area that is scarred can become thin and bulge out with each beat. The thin bulging area is called an aneurysm. The aneurysm, along with other heart damage you may have, makes your heart work harder to pump blood throughout your body. Initially, your heart is able to handle the additional work, but over time, your left ventricle becomes larger than normal and pumps less effectively. Left ventricular reconstructive surgery (or aneurysm repair surgery) allows the surgeon to remove the scarred, dead area of heart tissue and/or the aneurysm and return the left ventricle to a more normal shape. The goal is to improve heart failure and/or angina (chest pain) symptoms and possibly improve the pumping ability of your heart.
Left Ventricular Reconstructive Surgery may also be referred to as:
Left ventricular reconstruction is advocated as a surgical option for patients with severe congestive heart failure. This approach may be a reasonable alternative to cardiac transplantation in patients who lack other treatment options.