Q & A

Any person who is 18-years of age and older, as well an emancipated minor, can have Advance Directives.

This may vary by state law. If you are unable to make decisions, healthcare professionals must consult your family members. Some states have decisions‑making laws to identify individuals who may make decisions on your behalf when you do not have an Advance Directive, such as your spouse, parents or adult children.

If you cannot make health care decisions for yourself, a health care "surrogate" may be chosen for you. Under Illinois law, two doctors must certify that you cannot make health care decisions for yourself before a health care surrogate can be appointed.

A health care surrogate can be one of the following persons (in order of priority):

• Guardian of the person
• Spouse
• Any adult child(ren)
• Either parent
• Any adult brother or sister
• Any adult grandchild(ren)
• A close friend
• Guardian of the estate.

Yes, if you are an adult or emancipated minor inpatient. When you are admitted to a nursing unit you will be asked to complete a personal health history form or your nurse will assist you. At this time you will be asked about an Advance Directives form that has a summary of UChicago Medicine AdventHealth’s policy.

If you have completed Advance Directives, please bring a copy with you to the hospital and give it to your nurse. If you would like to complete one, please let your nurse know. If you have questions after reading the instructions on the back of the Advance Directives form, you may request to speak to a chaplain, case manager or your physician.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The main difference between these two services is the location where care is given.