Heart disease is one of the most common today. They affect people of all ages, although they most often affect older patients. Heart disease can have various causes. Many of them are associated with inadequate blood supply to the heart. For many different diseases and conditions, doctors recommend heart bypass surgery. What is a heart bypass? What are the indications for the procedure and what should you know before proceeding with it?
Heart bypass is a simplified name that simply means a cardiac coronary bypass surgery. It is used to restore adequate blood supply to the heart muscle.
The operation involves establishing a connection between the coronary arteries and the main artery (aorta), bypassing them in such a way as to bypass coronary constriction. Heart bypass is used for various diseases, and a vein or an artery can serve as a bridge. The most common for this purpose is the internal thoracic artery or a vein from the lower leg.
Heart bypass implantation is known as a rather complicated operation. To perform it, you need to conduct detailed examinations, including coronary angiography, which allows you to examine the degree of patency of blood vessels. Usually, heart bypass surgery takes about 5 hours, although this time may be longer.
In addition to coronary angiography, it is also necessary to perform a blood count, resting electrocardiography, general urine examination, chest X-ray, and an exercise test. Before the operation, the patient should be vaccinated against hepatitis B because of the relatively high possibility of infection. The operation of heart bypass implantation is performed under general anesthesia.
There are many different diseases that may indicate cardiac bypass surgery. One of the most common diseases that is treated with heart bypass insertion is ischemic heart disease.
The cardiologist may order the procedure if there is a critical stenosis in the initial segment of the anterior interventricular artery, with stenosis of the dominant right coronary artery, with stenosis of the left main coronary artery above 50 percent, with critical stenosis of three coronary vessels greater than 70 percent, and with the patient has a postoperative complication that causes a firm closure of the large coronary artery. Only a specialist doctor can decide to perform an operation, due to the high risk of this type of operation. Before the cardiac surgeon decides to perform the procedure, it is essential to assess the risk of complications after the implantation of cardiac bypasses, as well as to examine the location and type of changes in the coronary arteries.
There are two main methods of heart bypass implantation. One is the method in which extracorporeal circulation is used, the other is the method in which extracorporeal circulation is not used. The first one is so much more dangerous than the second because it can damage organs or tissues.
It is an operation performed with cardiac arrest, the function of which is taken over by a special machine. The bypass surgery without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass is performed on the beating heart, which is why it is described as more difficult, but at the same time there is a lower chance of damage to organs and tissues. A specialist physician decides which type of surgery will be performed in a given patient, after a careful analysis of the patient’s condition and test results.
Like any other operation or procedure, heart bypass implantation may be associated with some complications after the operation. The most dangerous complications of this type include stroke and heart attack. They can also appear months or years after surgery.
In addition, there may also be other, less serious complications, such as pneumonia and pulmonary embolism, wound infections, acute kidney failure, and bleeding from bypass which, unfortunately, often result in re-treatment.
It is worth remembering that the patient does not regain full fitness after the heart bypass surgery. There are a number of specific recommendations that should be followed after cardiac bypass surgery. First of all, patients are advised to give up harmful habits, especially various stimulants.
Light but regular physical activity is very important. You can choose to walk or take some quiet, light exercise. Certainly, stress has a negative effect on people with heart bypasses, so it is worth avoiding stressful situations and learning to deal with difficult emotions.