Heart Bypass Surgery
By: Robert NamTotal Views: 234, Word Count: 718,
Heart is an important and complicated organ in the body. It is difficult for one to count number of times it beats. It pumps near about 5 million gallons of blood through the body, so one should always try to take an extra care of this special organ.
Heart Bypass Surgery
Heart bypass surgery creates a new route, for blood and oxygen to reach your heart and this process is known as bypass. This surgery is carried out to fix the problem of the coronary artery disease in which arteries that leads the heart are totally or partly blocked.
Descriptions of Heart Bypass Surgery
Before the heart bypass surgery starts, you will be injected with anesthesia. It will not make you feel the pain and will last for the entire operation period.
Once you are unconscious, the heart surgeon will make a 10 inch long cut in the middle of your chest. Then, the breastbone will be separated in order to see your heart and aorta clearly.
Most of the people who undergo the heart bypass surgery are connected to heart by pass machine or the bypass pump. This machine performs the work of your heart and at the same time your heart is stopped for the surgery. A machine systematically adds oxygen to your blood and circulates the blood to all your body parts.
The other option is heart lung-by pass machine. In this method of bypass, surgery is performed when your heart is in a beating condition. This process is known as off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB).
During this surgery, surgeon or doctor takes the vein or artery from your body parts and uses it to create a detour (graft) around the blocked area in your artery. Graft is a blood vessel created to bypass the blocked artery. The most common artery used for your bypass of heart surgery is radial artery from your wrist.
During the surgery, doctor may use the saphenous vein from your legs. An incision is made in your leg, between the ankle and groin to reach till the vein. One end of the graft is sewn to your coronary artery and the other end to an opening of aorta.
The other option of graft is the internal mammary artery (IMA) in your chest. It is easy because one end is already connected to your aorta and other end can be sewn to coronary artery.
After the creation of graft, breastbone will be reconnected with the wire and incision will be closed. This surgery takes minimum 4 to 6 hrs for the process. After the surgery, you will be kept in intensive care unit (ICU).
Need of Heart Bypass Surgery
The aorta supplies the blood from the heart to all other parts of the body. It has two primary blood vessels, which help aorta in the supply of blood. Eventually, when the plaque builds up, narrows the artery by 70% in comparison to its usual size, the artery is said to be blocked.
This is the stage where heart bypass surgery is required. In case of few blockages, it can be relived by angioplasty and stenting. Angioplasty process involves inserting of balloon into the vessel and then inflating it to open up the way. A stent is inserted to keep the path open.
Risks in Heart Bypass Surgery
Following are some of the risks that are involved in any type of the surgery
1. Blood clots in lung can travel to the lungs
2. Blood Loss while surgery
3. Infections in the lungs, chest or urinary tract
4. Breathing problems
Following are the possible risk involved in coronary bypass surgery
- Heart attack or stroke
- Heartbeat or heart rhythm problem
- Memory loss or loss of mental clarity
- Low- grade fever or chest pain
- Chest wound infection (person who are having diabetes )
There are lots of things to learn about heart by pass surgery. However, it would be better to consult your doctor before coming to any type of conclusion related to heart bypass surgery.
About the Author
Dr. Robert Nam is a well known heart specialist and has done postgraduate training in cardiology at the national heart hospital, the London chest hospital and UCL hospital, London. He was also engaged in research at the national heart and lung institute. Nowadays he is working as a consultant cardiologist at UCL hospital, London.
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