When other therapies have failed or are not an option, heart surgery can fix some cardiac issues. Heart operations are sometimes considered to be life-or-death situations. A serious heart attack, for instance, may necessitate emergency surgery. Alternatively, cardiac surgery might be scheduled in advance in some circumstances. For example, cardiac bypass surgery to unblock coronary arteries is a complex operation that requires extensive preparation and recovery time. Putting in a pacemaker is a heart surgery, but there are other options that are less invasive.
How do doctors go about operating on the heart?
How your surgeon does heart surgery will depend on a number of things, such as the nature of your heart problem and your overall health. Techniques used in cardiac operations include:
To do open-heart surgery, commonly known as “classical heart surgery,” the surgeon opens the chest cavity to gain access to the heart. Medicines are used to halt the heart since it is difficult to operate on a beating heart. During the operation, the patient is hooked up to a machine that bypasses the heart and lungs. This machine sends oxygenated blood to all parts of the body.
Bypassing the need for a heart-lung machine during open-heart surgery is what makes “off-pump” cardiac surgery possible. The heart is being held steady by the surgeon with a mechanical device. During off-pump heart surgery, some patients may have coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) done.
To perform minimally invasive heart surgery, small incisions are made in the chest, usually in the space between the ribs. Two or three-inch incisions are possible. The incisions in the chest allow the doctor to implant surgical instruments. A heart-lung bypass machine may or may not be used during this procedure.
Minimally invasive surgery like that performed with a robot is called robotic-assisted surgery. The surgeon operates robotic surgical equipment via computer control. The surgeon can do delicate procedures with pinpoint precision.
How dangerous is it to have heart surgery?
Heart surgery, like any other kind of surgery, can be dangerous, even though the outcomes are usually very positive. A few of the potential dangers are as follows:
Bleeding
Inflammation, infection, and fever
the anesthetic dilemma (medicine that makes you sleep during g surgery) Arrhythmia
Lung, liver, kidney, and heart damage
Stroke
High risks are associated with heart surgery if:
Surgery is being performed immediately.
Besides these primary health concerns, you also suffer from diabetes.
Disorders of the Kidneys
Complications related to the lungs
Arterial disease in the limbs (PAD)
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health
Get Started with These Interventions and Operations on the Heart (American Heart Association)
to clarify, what exactly is heart surgery? Originating at the US National Library of Medicine (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute),
Adapting to Cardiac Rehab as Part of Everyday Life Medical Information from Medline Plus NIH-Related Discussion From the Health Department (National Library of Medicine)
There is a Spanish version of this sentence.
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ PDF on What to Anticipate after Heart Surgery
Connected Problems
Syndrome de Dressler (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Additionally, Spanish
When Will I Know If I Need Heart Surgery? Association of American Physicians-PDF
What Is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon? (The Thoracic Surgeons’ Society)
It’s also available in Spanish.
