What is CO2 Laser Revascularization?
CO2 Laser Revascularization is a cardiac surgical procedure that creates conduits or channels through the wall of the heart (myocardium) to promote increased blood flow into areas of the myocardium not amenable to direct revascularization. The physician determines the number of laser channels that are needed for each individual patient. The CO2 Heart Laser System is a laser that vaporizes the heart tissue in a fraction of a second, creating a channel through the wall of the heart that is about 1 mm wide (about the width of the head of a pin). The procedure may be performed through a small opening in the chest while your heart is beating; no heart-lung machine is required. Once a small incision is made to expose the heart muscle, a laser handpiece is then positioned on the outside of the oxygen-deprived area of the heart. A 1mm channel is created with the laser through the heart muscle into the inside of the heart chamber. The number of channels will be determined by the size of the oxy
