Contents
Cardiac surgery is considered a narrow-profile profession. The patient is referred to this specialist if he has a serious heart disease, which cannot be neutralized in an alternative way.
In this case, an alternative method is treatment with pharmacological agents, auxiliary methods such as folk recipes, herbal medicine and other aspects of the competence of a naturopath.
The duties of this doctor include knowledge of not only the structure and functionality of the cardiovascular system, but also the ability to understand all the intricacies of concomitant diseases.
Moreover, this is not only the ability to recognize the symptoms of even a nascent disease, but also the search for the root cause of damage, followed by a study of the spread mechanism. It is also on his shoulders to appoint a clinical examination, study its results and, if necessary, add other diagnostic procedures closely related to the diseased organ.
An operation is almost always the only way to heal a patient who is referred to the cardiac surgery department.
Treatment of diseases of the heart and aorta
It is believed that surgery is still the most effective treatment option for coronary artery disease, which guarantees the prevention of myocardial infarction.
A distinctive feature of this narrow branch of medicine is the rapid development – literally by leaps and bounds. This is facilitated not only by modern types of equipment, but also by broader views on the causes and consequences of heart disease.
Today, more and more young people completing their studies at medical universities choose this direction. They are attracted by the salary and broad prospects, because a competent expert in his field can not only work in the operating room, but also develop new methods for saving the lives of patients with heart defects.
Also, the speed of development of the industry and the quality of service for potential patients were significantly influenced by the desire of specialists from different countries to exchange best practices. For this, a special international congress is being held, where the best of the best can share their opinions and find like-minded people to experiment or test new equipment.
Due to the specifics of the activity, each such doctor must have a broad knowledge of related medical sciences. This means that it is not enough for him to understand only cardiological nuances and be a good analyst, able to calculate the risks of a possible operation.
He should also be an ace in:
- functional diagnostics;
- anesthesiology;
- topographic anatomy.
If you look at all the famous names of the pros from this area, then most of them will include men. It is believed that they are more enduring, because in some cases, doctors have to perform operations for about ten hours. At this time, several teams replace each other, but the main leader will still keep his finger on the pulse in order to control the overall result.
The main practical part of his work is based on getting rid of congenital or acquired heart defects, for which he uses coronary artery bypass grafting or any other justified technique. In recent years, pacemakers, which are installed in the chest, have become especially in demand.
After the successful completion of the surgical part, the patient will have a long recovery period. Even after being discharged from the inpatient department of the hospital, he will have to sign up for a consultation with his doctor many times. This is necessary to receive recommendations for reducing the risk of relapse. Also, an experienced expert will advise a set of preventive measures, which must be followed.
Cardiac surgeon competence
Usually, a cardiologist is referred to already in the case when an ordinary cardiologist has lost hope of helping the patient with the help of medications or some other relatively safe measures. In such a scenario, there is an urgent need to cure the victim in a short time in an operative way.
But even after receiving an appointment for an appointment with a cardiac surgeon, this does not always mean that the patient is awaiting surgical intervention.
First, the doctor will have to carefully study the medical history, as well as request a lot of additional tests. In very rare cases, the pros may even advise leaving everything as it is, since the risks of death for the patient are several times higher than the chances of successful treatment. Sometimes there is not even a minimal percentage of success, which is characteristic of the advanced stages of the course of the disease.
Pediatric cardiac surgeon deserves special attention. He often has to work even with babies. In crumbs, congenital heart disease can be fixed. It depends on the heredity of the parents, as well as their bad habits, which adversely affected the baby during the mother’s pregnancy.
Numerous experiments have proven that smoking, alcohol abuse and other addictions such as poor nutrition of parents are the basis for heart problems in the heirs. Moreover, this also applies to fathers, and not just mothers, since the same smoking dads through genes will transmit already distorted information. It is not for nothing that a cardiological consultation always begins with a small questionnaire regarding the presence of addictions and a possible genetic predisposition.
When to book an appointment
Usually, a professor will only see a patient after the patient has first visited a general practitioner, having received a referral from him to a regular cardiologist at a polyclinic. The latter, not seeing the opportunity to help the victim, will send him further – to his colleague with operational methods of intervention.
You should sound the alarm after discovering at least a few of the following signs:
- pain in the sternum;
- weakly palpable, but at the same time increased pulse;
- shortness of breath even with minor physical exertion;
- constant lethargy, which is sometimes replaced by irritability or despondency;
- unstable heartbeats;
- premature aging ahead of biological age;
- rapid fatigue even for no apparent reason.
Separately, it is worth highlighting the problems that haunt a person with constant low blood pressure. This disease is called hypotension and it is characterized by two characteristic signs in the form of pallor of the skin and facial edema.
But if the applicant has a pronounced red-blue skin tone on the cheeks, then this indicates a functional deviation of the mitral valve.
There are also typical symptoms with regularly elevated pressure. Such victims have a bumpy nose, which almost always retains a reddish color. Also on the nose are clearly visible veins, which are slightly protruding blood vessels.
Another common reason for referrals is acyclic circulation. People who have been diagnosed with this deviation have cyanosis not only in the cheek area. The bluish color appears on the forehead and even on the lips.
This is also confirmed by the reviews of the patients themselves, who complained of an unpleasant complexion and during the examination they received a similar verdict.
Experts also warn that if a person’s ornate temporal arteries show through too much, this indicates a rapid increase in pressure. It is a prerequisite for a hypertensive crisis. If this symptom is detected, it is necessary to immediately deliver the victim to the nearest department of a cardiac surgery hospital.
Another important point that should be remembered by all those in whose family there are “cores” is the numbness of the part of the skin between the chin and the lower lip. As soon as this is noticed, you must immediately contact the ambulance, or directly with cardiac surgery. This sign is a herald of an approaching heart attack.
Separately, the experts compiled a list of symptoms, the detection of which obliges the patient or those around him to be urgently hospitalized in the cardiac surgery department. It:
- shortness of breath of variable action, when the patient cannot take a full breath;
- severe pallor or unnatural redness of the face;
- rapid pulse, which is difficult to feel;
- slurred speech;
- blurred vision;
- lack of response to the speech of others;
- fainting.
Usually, after emergency care, such patients are immediately taken to the hospital by doctors from the ambulance, where an operating table is already being prepared for them and the best free cardiac surgeon is called to replace them.
How is the reception
Most of the inhabitants come to the cardiology office already with an impressive medical history, tests and a referral from the attending physician. But this is always not enough to build an accurate clinical picture that a cardiac surgeon must establish.
During the first appointment, an initial examination, review of the anamnesis, as well as listening to the accumulated complaints are usually carried out.
Based on the fresh information received, the expert will prescribe a re-passage of standard analyzes if necessary, or will be limited to specialized ones.
Only after collecting all the data will a verdict be issued regarding the need for an operation. Sometimes the experience of a practicing expert is much higher than that of an ordinary cardiologist and he will be able to suggest some rare, but quite effective alternative treatment.
The initial inspection includes:
- palpation;
- auscultation of the lungs and heart;
- percussion of the chest;
- pulse and pressure measurements.
Based on the results obtained, other methods are added to the diagnosis. Most often, they begin with a clinical analysis of blood and urine, and almost always this is not just a general blood test, but a detailed biochemical one.
This is followed by a test for HIV and other similar infectious diseases. Coagulogram, ECG and ultrasound of the heart are also a mandatory item in the plan. It does not do without an x-ray of the lungs, as well as an ultrasound of some other internal organs, lower extremities and cervical vessels. If necessary, fibrogastroscopy is prescribed.
Separately, diagnostic measures that are carried out by private clinics or large medical centers are considered. Such centers charge a fee for the use of their equipment, which is typical for transesophageal echocardiography or myocardial scintigraphy.
In the first case, a special esophageal sensor is used, and in the second, a special substance is used. Its composition includes radioactive isotopes that allow the gamma camera to take an accurate picture and identify problem areas.
Difficult procedures include probing, coronary angiography, and cardiac muscle mapping.
If you cannot do without surgical intervention, then the doctor prefers not to delay it for a long time. Previously, the patient will be sent to other narrow specialists to check if there are any risks from other organs that will suffer during the operation. Having set the date for the procedure, the patient will be given a list of preparatory medications to be taken before surgery, and after discharge, they will be familiarized with recommendations for preventing relapse.