Bypass surgery in Israel

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a complex cardiac surgical procedure that restores normal blood flow in the heart’s arteries. Heart bypass surgery in Israel is one of the most popular heart surgeries, for which patients from different countries come here, including the countries of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Israeli cardiac surgeons are rightfully considered the best experts in the world, and cardiac surgery is the country’s leading medical field. Coronary artery bypass grafting is considered a standard procedure in Israel, with more than 30,000 patients undergoing it annually.

According to Experts Medical, foreign patients choose medical centers in Israel for heart bypass surgery for the following reasons:

1. Heart bypass surgery in Israel is carried out both on a temporarily stopped and on a continuously working heart. Doctors prefer minimally invasive procedures without opening the chest without the use of a cardiopulmonary bypass system.
2. Israeli cardiac surgeons do not use leg veins for bypass surgery (as is still done in many countries), but arteries – mainly in the thoracic region.
3. In CABG, doctors make maximum use of existing natural arterial ramifications.
4. Leading medical centers in Israel are equipped with hybrid operating rooms using intraoperative imaging systems.
5. Israeli doctors have extensive experience in the use of robotic surgery for minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
6. In Israeli clinics, the accuracy of making the correct diagnosis reaches 100%.
7. The patient undergoes treatment according to an individual protocol, which is compiled by a multidisciplinary commission. It includes medical specialists from different fields.
8. Israeli hospitals have created the necessary conditions for conducting heart surgery in children.
9. Israel has developed a system of postoperative care and rehabilitation for patients who have undergone complex cardiac surgery.
10. All clinics in Israel are certified and have an international license.

In Israeli hospitals, there is a stable trend of continuous improvement in the results of CABG. The number of postoperative complications after coronary artery bypass grafting in Israel is minimized.

The most common indication for surgery is the narrowing of the lumen of the coronary vessels by more than 50% as a result of coronary heart disease (CHD). With this pathology, the patient’s processes of blood supply to the myocardium are disrupted, due to which the heart muscle begins to experience a lack of oxygen.

Among the main symptoms of coronary artery disease are severe chest pain, shortness of breath during physical exertion and at rest, and dizziness. The danger of coronary artery disease is that it can lead to the development of many serious complications, which in the end can threaten the patient’s life—for example, myocardial infarction, chronic heart failure, and cardiosclerosis.

In addition to IHD, heart bypass in Israel is prescribed for the following pathologies:

1. Acute coronary insufficiency, for example, with myocardial infarction.
2. Stable angina that does not respond to conservative therapy or is severe.
3. Chronic heart failure in combination with coronary artery disease.
4. Inflammatory lesions of the coronary vessels against the background of systemic diseases, inflammation of the membranes of the heart or non-cardiac infectious processes.
5. Thrombus formation or recurrence of stenoses after previous angioplasty with stenting.
6. Patients who have had a myocardial infarction who have had unsuccessful stenting.
7. Patients at high risk of heart attack in the short term.

The decision on the need for CABG and its method is made based on the results of laboratory and instrumental studies, the severity of the disease, and the general condition of the patient.

Contraindications for CABG can be absolute and relative:

1. They do not perform the procedure when the patient is in an extremely serious condition and has incurable diseases in the terminal stage. It is also forbidden to intervene at a critical level of myocardial contractility and in the early period of a stroke.
2. Relative contraindications include high obesity, and uncompensated diabetes mellitus, in the treatment of which Israeli doctors have succeeded.

The poor prognosis for CABG is small and rarely exceeds 1%. In recent years, no cases have been recorded in Israel when, at the end of the procedure, surgeons were unable to restart the patient’s heart.

Among the complications, inflammatory processes and edema are rarely recorded.

Particular attention should be paid to the following categories of patients:

• women;
• to old people;
• anyone who has been diagnosed with kidney failure, bleeding disorders and diabetes mellitus.

To minimize the risks, doctors maximally compensate for the pathological conditions of patients, carry out drug prevention. Israeli clinics are known for their low incidence of complications.

Heart bypass surgery in Israel is carried out after a thorough preoperative examination for 3-4 days.

A mandatory preoperative procedure is diagnostic coronary angiography. The doctor, using a catheter, injects a contrast agent into the patient’s coronary arteries to study the patency of the vessels.

The study allows you to assess the condition of the heart vessels and determine which method of treatment will be most effective:

• stenting – expanding the vessel with a stent;
• coronary artery bypass grafting.

Also, patients undergo various laboratory tests and tests using modern equipment, including stress echocardiography and 24-hour Holter ECG monitoring.

When making a decision, experts take into account many factors. For example, the length of the narrowed section of the artery, its tortuosity, the degree of narrowing. CABG is usually carried out with a narrowing of more than 75%.

The preoperative plan includes consultations with a cardiologist, a cardiac surgeon, and an anesthesiologist. The patient may be assigned additional diagnostic procedures if there are appropriate indications.

If conservative treatment and angioplasty with stenting do not lead to an improvement in blood supply, the patient is indicated for coronary artery bypass grafting. The goal of CABG is to restore the blood supply to the heart by creating “new vessels” to bypass the damaged ones.

During the operation, doctors form a shunt to bypass the affected area from a vessel taken from another body part. Israeli doctors for transplants use mainly the thoracic arteries. They are distinguished by better survival compared to venous bypasses, a rare occurrence of complications, and a longer service life – up to 15 years.

The surgeons make the final decision on the number of shunts only during the intervention. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia. It lasts 3-6 hours, depending on the chosen technique.

Heart bypass surgery in Israel is carried out by several methods:

1. CABG with cardiac arrest and the use of a heart-lung machine (AIC). The essence of the procedure: the surgeon makes an incision in the chest area and opens the chest, providing access to the heart muscle. Doctors temporarily stop the heart with hypothermia (exposure to cold) and chemicals.AIC supports the circulation of the patient’s blood.
2. CABG on a beating heart without AIK. This type of intervention is carried out by experienced doctors. Operation on a beating heart takes less time than with cardiac arrest. Special fixators are used to stabilize the operated area of the muscle. The patient’s recovery is also faster.
3. Endoscopic minimally invasive method. During the procedure, the doctor makes small incisions between the ribs, 5-10 cm in size, through which he performs manipulations. Less blood loss and reduced risk of complications explain the growing popularity of this type of surgery. However, this technology may not be applicable in all cases.

Israel’s leading hospitals have developed an innovative robotic technology for CABG using the Da Vinci apparatus. With this type of intervention, all manipulations are performed through punctures up to 1 cm. Patients note that the absence of pain and complications means that the rehabilitation period takes 1-3 days. This technology is owned by less than 1% of cardiac surgeons in the world.

Hospitalization after surgery lasts 5-7 days. 3 weeks after surgery, the patient can return to everyday life. After discharge, it is recommended to stay in the country for 14 days for outpatient monitoring. High-quality rehabilitation in specialized centers is of great importance.

Based on data from partner clinics and patient feedback, Experts Medical can recommend the following medical centers for heart bypass surgery in Israel:

1. Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) in Tel Aviv. One of the best clinics in the world for cardiac surgery of any complexity. Every year, 34,000 heart surgeries are performed here, including 4,000 elective and emergency CABG procedures. 2 surgeons usually perform the intervention. Among the most sought-after are Prof. Gadi Keren, President of the Israeli Association of Cardiology, and Prof. Shmuel Banai. An individual rehabilitation program is compiled for each patient who has undergone heart surgery.
2. Assuta Clinic in Tel Aviv. The medical center specializes in high-precision surgery, including robotic surgery. 13% of all operations in Israel are performed here. The hospital ranks second in the world in terms of patient survival. The doctors of the clinic are among the first in the world to use new methods with proven effectiveness. The clinic employs unique surgeons who perform complex procedures that are not yet available in other clinics in Israel and other countries. ACS is conducted by leading Israeli specialists, such as Dr. Herman Gandelman, Professors Michael Eldar, and Alexander Tenenbaum.
3. Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. A third of all foreign patients who choose Israel are treated in Hadassah. The medical center is a scientific base – 60% of medical research in Israel is carried out here. The clinic is trusted by the Israeli elite, including prime ministers, with their health. Among the leading cardiac surgeons are Dr. Alexander Lipey-Diamant, and Oz Shapira, who specialize in laparoscopic cardiac surgery. The significant advantages of Hadassah are preventive measures and the presence of a rehabilitation campus for patients who have undergone complex cardiac surgery.
4. Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. Ranked among the top 10 hospitals in the world by Newsweek magazine. More than 25% of scientific developments in the medical field are carried out in the hospital. Israel’s first open-heart surgery was performed here.

The Heart Center performs over 35,000 procedures annually, including 3,000 catheter surgeries and over 1,000 open heart procedures. Even in the most challenging cases, surgeons prefer to perform CABG on a beating heart. The frequency of postoperative complications does not exceed 3%. All patients undergo rehabilitation according to a personal scheme. According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, the level of satisfaction of patients treated at the Sheba Clinic’s Heart Center is the highest in the country. CABG operations are carried out by Raanni Ehud, one of the leading specialists in Israel.

5. Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. It is included in the TOP-5 clinics in Israel. The hospital cooperates with Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University in the USA. This allows Rambam patients to be the first to receive the most advanced treatment. Cardiac surgeons use the CARTO-3 cardiography and navigation system. This is a joint development of Rambam doctors with the American corporation Johnson & Johnson. Among the outstanding doctors is Professor Gil Bolotin, Head of the Department of Cardiac Surgery. He performs extremely complex heart surgeries using minimally invasive methods.

One of the important advantages of treatment in Israeli hospitals is the absence of a language barrier for patients from Russian-speaking countries.

The price for coronary artery bypass grafting in Israel in leading clinics ranges from $21,000 – 24,000. The total cost of the procedure can be $34,000. It includes:

• diagnostic studies;
• operation;
• daily stay in intensive care;
• weekly stay in the clinic during the rehabilitation period;
• control of neurophysiological reactions during transplantation and introduction of vessels;
• postoperative monitoring of the patient’s condition.

You can learn more about the prices and conditions for coronary artery bypass surgery in Israel on the Experts Medical website or during a free telephone consultation with the company’s coordinating doctor.

In order not to waste time and quickly perform coronary artery bypass grafting in Israel with the best cardiac surgeons, you should immediately call Experts Medical coordinating doctors or leave a request on the website. As soon as possible, coordinating doctors will help you choose the best clinic for coronary artery bypass surgery in Israel, as well as a leading specialist with whom you can arrange an online consultation.

At Experts Medical, for a trip to Israel for coronary artery bypass grafting, services are available for processing medical documents, booking air tickets and hotel rooms, and transfer.