Hello Joanne,
I've had both Bypass Surgery and Valve Replacement Surgery. Opening and Closing is identical so our Pre-Surgery and Post-Surgery Forums on VR.com would be an excellent place for your friend's sister to visit to learn about what to expect before, during, and after surgery.
The Major Difference is that with Bypass surgery, a "donor vein" is usually harvested, most commonly the sapheous vein in one leg, but sometimes a vein from the arm. A mammary(sp?) artery may also be repositioned if one of the major left side arteries needs bypassing.
Technically, bypass surgery is much less invasive than valve surgery. Once you are opened up, bypassing 'merely' (I can see my Bypass Surgeon cringing at this comment) makes a small incision in the artery to be bypassed, inserts one end of the donor vein, and sews it up. Piece of Cake, right?
There is an e-mail forwarding group on Yahoo Groups called
[email protected] It was founded by a heart nurse in Washington state if I remember correctly. I suspect that she is no longer an active moderator, but the group still exists.
For information, she may want to subscribe to the Heart Center Online Newsletter
[email protected]
Hope this helps.
'AL Capshaw'