“Is surgery needed after a heart attack?”

Not always. It depends on the type of heart attack and the amount of damage. The benefits of surgery also have to outweigh its risks.

After a heart attack, or during the attack depending on when the patient gets to the hospital, a cardiac catheterization is performed. This is done to find out which coronary arteries are responsible for the attack.If there are a number of arteries involved surgery may be advised rather than angioplasty and stenting.Other factors contributing to the decision are where in the arteries the obstructions lie, the amount of heart muscle damage, and any other illnesses present.