Non-communicable diseases account for 74% of global deaths annually. Among such deaths,18 million people die annually from a range of cardiovascular diseases, followed by cancer, chronic respiratory illness, and diabetes.

Men older than 45 and women past menopause have the highest risk of a heart event. One person dies every 33 seconds from cardiovascular disease.

Don’t panic, with all the advancements in technology and the medicinal field, along with the best cardiac hospital in Chennai, timely diagnosis and proper follow-up treatment, help you heal from health-related problems.

The aim of this blog is to provide you with an overview of heart surgery. Read along to learn more.

What is heart surgery?

HEART SURGERY

Heart surgery is done to correct problems with the heart when other procedures no longer work or can’t be used. It is used to treat ischemic heart disease or valvular heart diseases, including endocarditis, rheumatic heart disease, and atherosclerosis.

Each year, more than 2 million people around the world have heart surgery to treat various heart problems. Depending on the problem, surgeries can vary from minimally invasive options to open-heart surgery.

Types of heart surgery

Depending on the causative agent, severity of the problem, age, and all other necessary factors, heart surgeries can be of the following types:

  • Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG): is a form of heart surgery that restores blood flow to the heart when one or more coronary arteries have become narrowed or blocked, likely due to coronary artery disease (CAD).

        

        Your chances of developing CAD increase with age, and you’re also more likely to be affected if  you smoke, are obese, or have a high-fat diet.

 

        In people with CAD, plaque builds up within the walls of the coronary arteries over time, narrowing them and reducing-or even completely blocking the blood flow to the heart. Result: chest pain (angina) and heart attacks.

  • Heart valve repair or replacement: it is an open heart surgery to replace or repair one of your four heart valves. Arteries are like doors that open and close to let the blood pass through.

Several options are available for heart valve replacements, including biological and mechanical replacement valves.

Typically, a surgeon may implant a heart valve via open-heart surgery. However, some approaches, such as TAVR, may involve using a catheter, which is less invasive.

Given the range of treatments, it’s important to consult a physician from a heart surgery hospital to determine the most appropriate treatment procedure.

  • Aortic aneurysm repair: Aneusym occurs when part of an artery wall weakens, allowing it to abnormally balloon out or widen. Causes are unknown. Some people are born with them. They can also be hereditary.

Dissection is the splitting of the layers of the artery wall, allowing the blood to leak between them. Rupture, aneurysm burst completely causing bleeding inside the body. These two are cause of most deaths from aortic aneurysms.

During surgery, the weakened aortic wall is replaced with a graft, which is a synthetic tube made of strong fabric. This may be done either through open surgery or an endovascular procedure. The method depends on the size and location of the aneurysm and is ultimately decided by you and your doctor. To get the best results, visit the best cardiac hospital now.

  • Arrhythmia surgery: an arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, is a problem with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat. Your heart may beat too quickly, too slowly, or with an irregular rhythm.

It is normal to feel as if your heart skips a beat occasionally. But a frequent irregular rhythm may mean that your heart is not pumping enough blood to your body. Visit the heart hospital in Chennai and get evaluated.

Treatment includes:

  • Medications
  • Lifestyle changes 
  • Therapies 
  • Devices such as permanent pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, etc.
  • Surgery includes coronary bypass surgery, maze procedure to correct atrial fibrillation, and in some cases, biventricular pacemaker leads. 

  • Congenital heart defect repair: congenital heart defect is a condition of  the heart’s structure that is present at birth. They may change the normal flow of blood through the heart. 

 

Congenital heart defects can usually be found by a doctor based on symptoms or by newborn or prenatal screenings.

Cardiac catheterization is a common procedure that is sometimes used to treat this defect.

Surgeries that are sometimes needed to treat congenital heart defects include:

  • Heart transplant
  • Palliative surgery for babies too small or not strong enough to have heart surgery. Instead, they must have temporary surgery.
  • Ventricular assist device
  • Total artificial heart

  • Reasons for heart surgery: the following are some reasons for heart surgery:
  • Coronary artery defect, when plaque narrows the arteries.
  • Arrhythmia, or abnornmal heart rhythms, is due to changes in the electrical signals that control your heartbeat.
  • Heart aneruysm, a balloon like bulge in an artery wall and can be life threatening.
  • Congenital heart defects
  • Heart failure, when the heart fails to pump enough oxygen-rich blood.

Recovery and aftercare

Your expected recovery time depends on the type of surgery you have and your general health.

Open heart surgeries usually require a hospital stay of four to five days. Once you’re released from the hospital, it usually takes six to eight weeks for your breastbone and chest muscles to heal as you return gradually to a normal daily routine.

Less invasive procedures usually only require an overnight stay. At-home recovery will typically take up to a month.

Other common instructions include:

  • Check your pulse every day.
  • Weigh yourself every day.
  • Take your medications as prescribed.
  • Keep your follow-up appointments.
  • Recognize and react accordingly to warning signs and symptoms.

Conclusion

Heart surgery is like a bicycle that can carry you down a long road when you’re tired of walking, but you still have to push the pedals, such that make lifestyle changes your healthcare provider recommends.

Heart surgeries will become easy when you visit the right place with the right doctors, like what they provide at Oxymed, best cardiac hospital in Chennai

Book an appointment now, and make your heart beat for beautiful memories, not pain.