Beating-Heart Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Advanced Heart Surgery for Greater Peace of Mind

We're always looking for ways to make care safer, gentler and more effective — especially when it comes to your heart. Traditional bypass surgery often involves opening the chest and temporarily stopping the heart while a machine helps it function. While this method is still used in some cases, our expert cardiac surgeons now offer a more advanced option.

Whenever possible, we perform beating-heart bypass surgery, a technique that allows the heart to continue beating during the procedure. This approach can help preserve heart function and may lead to a smoother recovery, including for patients who have multiple health conditions or are considered high-risk for traditional surgery.

By combining advanced surgical techniques with compassionate care, we’re helping more patients experience better outcomes — and greater peace of mind — every step of the way.

We’re ready to help you get the right heart care. To get started, call us at 855-206-2418 or complete our appointment request form.

Surgical Expertise and Heartfelt Compassion

Hearing that you may need heart surgery can feel overwhelming, but you’re not alone. We're here to help you feel informed, supported and confident in your care. Our expert heart care team will help you understand your options and answer your questions, offering personalized options that focus on your well-being.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Beating-Heart Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

We’re here to answer your questions about beating-heart coronary artery bypass surgery — also called off-pump coronary artery bypass — so you can make informed decisions about your heart care.

  • What is beating-heart coronary artery bypass surgery and how is it performed?

    In an open-chest, beating-heart bypass procedure, surgeons make an incision through the breastbone to gain access to the heart. In many cases, surgeons do a partial sternotomy, which is a shorter incision through the breastbone than a full sternotomy. Unlike traditional bypass surgery, the heart is not stopped during a beating-heart bypass procedure. This approach uses special devices to stabilize the part of the heart the surgeon is operating on.

    At UChicago Medicine AdventHealth, beating-heart bypass is typically performed without the use of a heart-lung bypass machine, though it may be performed with the support of the machine in some cases.

  • What are the benefits of beating-heart bypass surgery?

    Compared to traditional bypass surgery, the benefits of beating-heart bypass surgery include:

    • Better preservation of heart function
    • Less chance for heart rhythm, kidney or liver complications
    • Quicker recovery
    • Reduced hospital stay
    • Reduced risk of neurological injury, including stroke and memory function damage

    This approach is especially beneficial for patients who have multiple health conditions or are considered high-risk for traditional surgery.

  • Who is a candidate for the beating-heart surgical approach?

    Most people who require coronary artery bypass graft surgery are candidates for the beating-heart surgical approach. Surgeons weigh several factors, such as the location of blocked arteries, a patient's history of past thoracic surgeries and the presence of co-existing diseases. Patients with very poor heart function, cases requiring re-operation involving the side of the heart and hearts that cannot tolerate manipulation may not be the right fit for this approach.

  • Is beating-heart bypass surgery widely available?

    More than 95% of coronary bypass surgeries performed at our UChicago Medicine AdventHealth hospitals are done on a beating heart. Although beating-heart bypass is not an option for all patients requiring bypass surgery, our experienced surgeons are frequently able to offer it safely to many patients.