Open heart surgery is the same as any other surgery, during surgery the chest is cut open and the surgery is performed on the muscle, valves, and arteries of the heart.
From Research by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLB), it is found that the most common heart surgery performed on adults is coronary artery bypass (CABG).
In this surgery, the blood flow to the heart is provided by bypassing the blocked artery and the healthy artery or vein is attached to the blocked artery to bring a constant flow of fresh blood to the heart.
Open heart surgery is also referred to as Traditional surgery and needs to be performed at top hospitals in Bangalore. Nowadays the term open-heart surgery can be misleading because many new heart procedures are performed with only small incisions, not with a wide opening.
A coronary artery bypass graft is necessary for patients with coronary heart disease. coronary heart disease occurs mainly due to blood vessels that provide blood and oxygen to the heart muscle found narrow and hard, this termed as “hardening of the arteries”.
When fatty material forms a plaque on the walls of the coronary arteries, this plaque narrows the arteries, making it tough for the blood to flow and due to this hardening occurs. The main reason for the heart attack is the blood can’t flow properly.
Other than that open-heart surgery also repairs or replaces heart valves, to allow continuous blood flow through the heart. Also, repair damaged or abnormal areas of the heart by using the donated heart of other patients.
The process of performed open-heart surgery takes time between three to six hours.
Steps to perform open-heart surgery are as follows –
- The patient is given general anesthesia to ensure he will be asleep and pain-free during the whole surgery process.
- The surgery makes 8-10inch cut through all the parts of the breastbone to expose the heart and once it is visible, by connecting to a heart-lung bypass machine the blood flow taken away to perform better surgery by the surgeon.
- The surgeon uses a healthy vein or artery to bypass the blocked artery. at end of the surgery, all original cut is stitched up.
The after-effects of open-heart surgery
When you wake up after the surgery, you will have several tubes in your chest. these two or three tubes are helpful to drain fluid from the area around your heart. you may be having intravenous lines in your arm to supply you with fluids, as well as a thin tube in your bladder for giving way to remove urine.
The main risk during the surgery is chest wound infection commonly found in patients with obesity or diabetes. Also, there is a risk of lung or kidney failure. the post-surgery care in open-heart surgery is as follows –
Incision care
it is so important to keep the incision site warm and dry, and wash your hands before and after touching it. You cant take a shower if the incision has not properly drained. It is extremely important to check your incision sites for the sign of infection which can include fever or redness or warmth around the incision.
Pain management
pain management can improve the speed of recovery and lowers the complication like blood clots or pneumonia. You may also feel muscle pain and through pain, the doctor prescribed medication is important for pain management.
Get enough sleep
some patients having trouble sleeping after the open-heart surgery, but good sleep is necessary for better recovery. If you take proper medication like taking pain medication a half-hour before bed.
Also, arrange pillows to decrease muscle strain and avoid caffeine to get better recovery results. In past, there is a misconception that open-heart surgery may lead to a decline in mental functioning but after research, it is found that it is quite common in people with more age only.
Rehabilitation
structural and comprehensive rehabilitation can be much helpful for a good recovery. this is usually done by outpatient with a visit several times a week. The main elements in the program are exercise, reducing risk factors, and dealing with stress and anxiety.
To expect fast recovery the few things you can follow are like eating a healthy diet, cutting down salt and sugar in daily food, avoid smoking, and controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Conclusion:
Hope you got to know some important things about open-heart surgery through this article. Make sure you find the top hospital in Bangalore before you decide to get surgery for yourself or one of your loved ones.
Apart from this if you are interested to know about The Effect of Sleep Apnea then visit our health category.
