Heart bypass surgery evolves HEALTH CARE: Debate over best way to repair heart continues BY GINA CZARK 219.933.3234 This story ran on nwitimes.com on Thursday, July 14, 2005 12:50 AM CDT ADVERTISEMENT Even though it has been in practice for a decade, the debate over beating heart or off-pump bypass procedures lingers. Numerous studies have been published for and against the procedure, which allows surgeons to perform heart surgery while the heart continues beating inside the chest. In traditional bypass procedures, the heart is stopped and the aorta is connected to a heart-lung machine to support the body. According to a study published in May by Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, patients have the same outcome no matter which surgery method is used. Still, the debate lingers. "The information goes either way and

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