Facts about Open Heart Surgery You May Not Know

by Sonam S. Professional Writer

People who suffer from coronary heart diseases are often recommended to go through open heart surgeries. But, only a few of them know all there is to know about this type of heart surgery. In general, they are told that the normal function of their heart gets restored with this type of surgery, and they can live with a healthy heart after the treatment.

For heart patients, and even for those who care for such patients, gaining knowledge of open heart surgery can help a lot in taking good care of their hearts for a healthier life.

Simplest Definition of Open Heart Surgery

In this type of heart surgery, the chest area of the patient is cut open to perform surgical treatment on the valves, muscles, and blood vessels of their hearts.

Since this is one of the most common types of heart surgery recommended to heart patients, it is also known as traditional heart surgery.

Open Heart Surgery for CABG

A common condition that a lot of heart patients are diagnosed with is of blocked coronary arteries. This blocking occurs when fatty material forms a plague inside the arteries, thus preventing the normal flow of blood to the heart. The inability of the blood to pass through these blocked and hardened arteries may lead to a heart attack, which is why Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) is recommended.

In CABG surgery, a healthy artery or vein is grafted to the blocked artery, to make the fresh blood reach the heart normally. To get this surgery done, it is very important to choose and visit a renowned hospital that has a team of open heart surgery experts working with them.

Other Situations When Open Heart Surgery May Be Needed

1. Heart Valves Repair or Replacement

In some cases, people suffer from a condition where at least one of the four heart valves fails to function properly to keep the blood flowing in the right direction. To treat this heart disease, heart valve surgery is recommended, wherein the surgeons will repair or replace the valves.

2. Implantation of Medical Devices to Make the Heart Beat Properly

For patients whose heartbeat slows down to a dangerously low rate or becomes irregular, a pacemaker implantation may be needed. This is done with the help of open heart surgery, after which, the inserted pacemaker signals the heart to beat normally as it should as soon as it notices an irregular heartbeat.

3. Heart Transplant

In some situations, the heart inside a patient’s body becomes critically diseased. It fails to function as it should, even after medications of all sorts have been tried. As a last option, a heart transplant is recommended to the patient, in which the diseased heart is replaced with a healthy heart from a donor.

Risks Involved in Open Heart Surgery

- Infection in and around the chest wound after the surgery has been performed

- Heart attack

- Blood loss

- Difficulty in breathing

- Arrhythmia, and many others

Even though there is risk involved in getting heart surgery done, it can be minimized by choosing expert surgeons for the same, in a renowned healthcare hospital.