open-heart surgery

[oh-puhn-hahrt]

noun

1. surgery performed on the exposed heart while a heart-lung machine pumps and oxygenates the blood and diverts it from the heart.

open-heart surgery

noun

1. surgical repair of the heart during which the blood circulation is often maintained mechanically

open-heart surgery

1. Surgery in which the thoracic cavity is opened to expose the heart and the blood is recirculated and oxygenated by a heart-lung machine.

Word History and Origins

Origin of open-heart surgery¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

That diagnosis came just six years after Williams underwent open-heart surgery in 2009 to treat ischemic heart disease, which has also been linked to Agent Orange.

From Salon

She was initially diagnosed with arthritis, but after a series of tests, doctors detected something much more serious: a rare congenital heart disease that required open-heart surgery.

From Los Angeles Times

Doctors in Jordan performed successful open-heart surgery on Niveen, and she was slowly beginning to recover.

From BBC

I was recovering from open-heart surgery, menopause was looming and I was losing a sense of purpose.

From Los Angeles Times

They include 16-year-old Georgina Smith from Hertfordshire, who is waiting for open-heart surgery to repair a valve on her right side which doesn’t close properly.

From BBC