This procedure is also called the SAVER or Dor procedure after its inventor, Dr. Vicent Dor of Monaco. When a heart attack occurs, a part of the heart muscle dies and a scar forms. The scarred area is thin and can bulge out with each beat. The bulging thin area is called an aneurysm.An aneurysm in the left ventricle decreases the ability of the heart to pump blood and heart failure occurs.
Like the Batista procedure discussed in question 64, the Dor procedure involves the removal of heart tissue to optimize the size and shape of the heart and to improve function. When heart failure occurs after a heart attack, the surgeon may choose to combine bypass surgery and/or valve repair with removal of the dead area of heart muscle or the aneurysm. After this surgery, most people’s hearts pump better and they have fewer heart failure symptoms. An early study found that 85 percent of patients who had the surgery did not need to return to the hospital during an 18-month follow-up period.