But last September, Canadian surgeon Douglas Boyd provided a glimpse of the future of computer - assisted surgery when he inserted tiny robotic tools through four keyhole - sized ports in a patient's chest and successfully performed the first closed - chest, beating - heart bypass operation without the aid of a heart - lung machine. (discovermagazine.com)
If the bill you're facing is high — and an emergency heart bypass operation in a U.S. hospital can set you back $ 200,000 or more — you may have to post security before getting medical treatment, even though you are insured. (moneysense.ca)
Every year, 400 000 Americans have heart bypass operations, at a cost of about $ 30 000 each. (newscientist.com)