What is Heart Bypass Surgery?
Heart bypass surgery is the procedure to improve the blood flow to the heart that can be cut short due to any blockages in the main arteries. It is also known as coronary artery graft (CABG) surgery. The procedure involves the surgeon taking healthy blood vessels from any other part of your body and using them to get the blood flow back. In other words, it is to bypass the blockages of arteries. Some of the best heart surgery hospital in bangalore treat patients for heart blockages. The coronary arteries provide the heart with oxygen-rich blood. If there is any restriction to this flow, it can severely damage the heart or stop it from functioning altogether.
Different types of Heart Bypass Surgery
The procedure that the surgeon will prescribe will depend on the number of arteries that show blockages in your system. Therefore, the methods are:
● The Single Bypass: if only one artery shows obstruction.
● The Double Bypass: if two arteries show obstruction.
● The Triple Bypass: if three arteries show obstruction.
● The Quadruple Bypass: if four arteries show obstruction.
The seriousness of heart failure links directly to the number of arteries that show blockage and how long the surgery will take. More lengthy procedures are also prone to becoming more complex.
Who gets a Heart Bypass Surgery?
When a person has plaque buildup in their arteries due to high cholesterol levels, the blood flow decreases. The heart needs oxygen-rich blood to pump it to the rest of the body. When blockages arise, they can cause severe damage to it. It will result in the disease known as atherosclerosis and restricts the heart from efficiently pumping blood. After examining you, the doctor may recommend a heart bypass surgery if your arteries have severe blockages and the medications alone are not enough.
How will I know if I need a Heart Bypass Surgery?
Cardiologists who specialize in this field, along with a team of doctors, will diagnose your symptoms and then suggest whether you need this surgery or not. They will also underline any other conditions that could have a chance of complicating your problem.
Some of the possible aggravators of the surgery are:
- Diabetes
- Emphysema
- Kidney disease
- Peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
They will also look at your complete medical history and your family before scheduling a date for the surgical procedure. It is essential to discuss any other issues related to your health before the surgery with your doctor.
Are there any risks?
Open heart surgery is not without its many risks, such as:
- Excessive bleeding
- Arrhythmia
- Blood clotting
- Possible chest pain
- Infections
- Any or both failure of the kidneys
- Heart attack or stroke during the procedure
Mostly, getting treatment through heart bypass surgery is the only way to live for some people if the problem is diagnosed in an earlier stage.
What are the preliminaries of the surgery?
When the cardiologist prescribes that you need a heart bypass surgery, he will give you complete guidelines to prepare in advance if it is not an emergency procedure. Some of the best heart surgery hospital in bangalore perform these steps before the surgery takes place.
They will conduct a complete assessment of your medical and family history and recommend that you undergo the following tests, to ensure that there isn’t any medication that needs to be avoided, along with other things, so that the surgery is a success.
The test includes:
- Some specific blood tests
- Chest X-ray
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
- Angiogram
These tests will provide a complete profile of your current medical situation to the doctor before performing the surgery.
How is the recovery?
Usually, after the procedure, you will be placed in the ICU of the hospital so that you’re under constant observation, and there is an ongoing check of your vitals for at least two to three days. After these initial days, you will be put in another room for a few days. Before you can be discharged from the hospital, the medical team will instruct how you can care for yourself to ensure that you recover soon. Along with other instructions, the basics will involve how you can care for your wound so that there’s no infection, how to rest well, and stay away from lifting heavy objects.
Usually, it takes around 12 weeks to recover from the procedure, but lots of care has to be taken during this time. You should also follow up on regular visits to your doctor so that he can check if the healing process is going well. Nowadays, doctors recommend many good cardiac rehabilitation centers for such patients to help in the healing process.