It does sound like a fantasy but it is definitely not!! Many sickly patients can rapidly return to their valuable lives and families after a minimal invasiveheart operation. There is a widespread conviction among well-meaning sons or daughters and sometimes even their own doctors that elderly patients with a serious heart condition are too old and frail to withstand open heart surgery.The reverse is actually true: they are too old and frail to survive their heart disease without the help of a cardiac surgeon! Our statistics are showing this striking reality. The most common problems that can be tackled to save these patients' lives are heart valve disease, aneurysms and coronary artery blockages. Elderly patients can live longer AND better if they are offered a minimally invasive heart surgical solution for their heart disease. If you or someone you care for are caught in this bind, you can learn what to ask for and what to look for.

1. Is it really "too late"? Age is truly a relative concept! I have seen innumerable patients in their 80's and 90's who had beautifully clear minds and active life styles and were nevertheless deprived of lifesaving surgery just because of their age. Patients who fit this profile are often physically younger than their real age and do absolutely fantastic with their open heart procedures. In my experience, the fact that they are looking forward to an improved life style is by itself a strong predictor of surgical success.

2. Can your strength be restored by surgery? Heart disease and symptoms of chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath and weakness tend to deteriorate elderly patients by gradually taking away their life style. This is the time to have a "heart to heart" with a heart surgeon who can offer the right surgical therapy to restore energy levels and a better life style.

3. Can minimally invasive heart surgery be carried out in your case? Most elderly heart patients can now be helped with minimally invasive techniques and will be walking the hospital halls in less than 24 hours after their operation. Most of them can return to their life styles and families in two to three days. Make sure you find out if the surgeon specializes in minimally invasive techniques and don't be shy about asking how many of his patients can enjoy a minimally invasive approach.Feel free to pursue a second opinion. A truly experienced minimally invasive surgeon uses these techniques in the majoritymost of his patients.

I'll conclude with a line from my 83 year old father-in-law, a recently retired family doctor: "Many elderly patients are young minds trapped in an old cage". Well...it's your body, it's your heart, it's your life!! Help yourself to what modern medicine can offer.