Everything You Need to Know About Heart Surgery To Help You Prepare

A cardiac surgery, also known as a heart operation, is a medical procedure that is conducted to address a heart-related health issue. Heart surgery can include the following procedures:

• Correcting a heart defect that is either congenital (a hole in the heart) or acquired
• Repairing the heart valves that regulate blood flow to and from the heart and keep blood pressure in check
• A cardiac procedure involving the implantation of a machine in the heart, such as a stent, to stabilize and normalize heart function. This is a common cardiac surgery.
• A heart transplant, in which a healthy donor heart replaces a recipient’s compromised heart.

These are a few procedures performed to treat cardiovascular disorders. These surgeries are extremely delicate as it deals with repairing an extraordinarily complex and coordinated system of the body. The best heart surgery hospital in Bangalore is equipped with the most advanced technology and highly skilled cardiac surgeons who have years of experience, which aid in the effective detection and treatment of such disorders.

Common types of heart surgery

Many different types of heart surgeries could be invasive, non-invasive, or interventional. The following are some of the most common coronary surgical procedures.

• Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG): CABG, one of the most common forms of heart surgery, is a procedure where a surgeon connects a healthy artery or vein from any healthy region in your body to supply blood past the blocked coronary artery. The grafted artery or vein creates a new pathway for blood to circulate to the heart muscle by bypassing the blocked part of the coronary artery. Often, this is performed on more than one coronary artery during the same surgery. CABG is also referred to as heart bypass or coronary artery bypass surgery.
• Heart valve repair or replacement: Surgeons may either restore or replace the valve with an artificial or biological valve made using pig, cow, or human heart tissue. Inserting a catheter through a broad blood vessel, directing it to the heart, and inflating and deflating a tiny balloon at the catheter’s tip to enlarge a narrow valve is one treatment choice.
• Insertion of a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD): Arrhythmia is a condition where the heart either beats too quickly, too slow or in an erratic rhythm. Medicine is normally the first treatment option for this condition. A surgeon can implant a pacemaker under the chest or abdomen, with wires connecting it to the heart chambers, if medication fails. When a device detects an erratic heart rhythm, the system uses electrical pulses to regulate it. When an ICD senses a dangerous arrhythmia, however, it sends an electric shock to get the heart rate back to normal.
• Maze Surgery: A surgeon may create a pattern of scar tissue with the upper chambers of the heart. This procedure is carried out to redirect electrical pulses along a directed and controlled pathway leading to the heart’s lower chambers. This surgery blocks any stray electric impulses that cause atrial fibrillation, a very common type of lethal arrhythmia.
• Aneurysm repair: A weak or damaged portion of an artery or the heart wall is replaced with a graft to repair a huge balloon-shaped bulge in either of the two areas. This surgery is performed to treat aneurysms which can prove to be fatal.
• Heart transplant: The damaged heart is removed from the patient and is replaced with a new healthy, functioning heart from a donor. This is done in extreme conditions; in most cases, it is extremely difficult to find a healthy heart that is compatible with the patient.

Heart surgeries are extremely complicated and need immense precision and skill; something only years of experience can bring. The best heart surgery hospital in Bangalore has a dedicated team of experienced cardiologists and cardiac surgeons that can help make your journey to recovery a less stressful and frightening one.

Risks associated with Heart Surgery:

Almost all heart surgeries are major surgeries and are bound to have some complications attached to them. Most of these can be managed with proper post-care measures and medication. While it is common to have anxiety prior to cardiac surgery, many patients continue to have anxiety post operatively. Shopping around online for the best medical alert system to have installed at home can bring you a lot of peace of mind during recovery. While most heart surgeries are successful and the healing process takes time, there can always be some complications on your road to recovery. Here are a few common risks that are noticed in some cases:

1. Internal Bleeding
2. Infections
3. Negative reaction to anesthesia
4. Tissue damage in the heart, kidney, lungs, or liver
5. Strokes or seizures
6. Death, in cases of extreme severity or high-risk patients

The risk of experiencing any of the above is a lot higher if you also suffer conditions, such as diabetes, peripheral artery disease, lung or kidney disease.

Consult a doctor at the best heart surgery hospital in Bangalore for a comfortable, detailed, and stress-free treatment.