The heart is one of the most vital organs in your body because the health of the heart correlates to your physical health. An unhealthy heart can cause fatal problems such as blood clots, stroke, or heart attack. This is where people opt for cardiac surgical procedures to overcome the risk to a huge extent.
Cardiac surgeries are performed at Frontier Lifeline Hospital for both children and adults. It can be an option for heart patients when all other treatments like medications, medical procedures, and lifestyle changes fail to provide enough relief.
What are Cardiac Surgeries?
Cardiac surgeries allude to any type of surgery performed on the heart or vessels which move the blood to and from the heart. Cardiac surgeries are performed under various conditions, all of which can be mostly life-threatening, including heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots. It is also proposed for people at high risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Most cardiac surgeries are often needed to address plaque build-up in the heart valves which might cause faulty, partially or totally blocked blood flow in the coronary artery. Some of them are performed traditionally whereas the cardiac surgeon in Chennai uses minimal intrusive strategies or minimally invasive techniques to perform the entire surgical procedure.
Why Cardiac Surgeries are Performed?
Cardiac surgeries are performed to treat several heart-related problems such as
- Fix or repair dysfunctioning heart valves
- Remove intracardiac tumor
- Treat heart failure and coronary heart disease
- Control abnormal heart rhythms
- Replace a damaged heart
- Place intracardiac devices
What are the Types and Procedures of Cardiac Surgeries?
There are various types of cardiac surgeries which are performed to treat different heart conditions. Some common procedures include:
Artificial Heart Valve Surgery
Artificial heart valve surgery or heart valve replacement surgery is done to repair or replace diseased heart valves. During the artificial heart valve surgery, the cardiac surgeon will remove an abnormal or diseased heart valve to replace it with a healthy one.
These types of cardiac surgeries can be performed under general anesthesia with either minimally invasive or conventional techniques. The patient will be placed on a bypass machine to keep the blood circulating and the lungs functioning as usual.
Heart Transplant
A heart transplant is one of the cardiac surgeries in which a diseased heart is operated on to replace it with a healthier, donor heart. The cardiac surgeon uses this type of surgical procedure as the only option for appropriate heart failure patients when all other treatments fail to provide relief.
During the procedure, heart-lung machines get connected to the patient’s body to keep the blood and oxygen supply in a regular flow. An incision is made in the chest along the breastbone to separate and access the heart. Then, the heart is removed leaving a section for replacing a new heart behind the two upper chambers of the heart. The new heart is connected to the aorta, pulmonary artery, and remaining part of the atria. When the heartbeats start, the breastbone will be closed with metal wires and muscles or tissues with closed sutures.
Bypass Surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery is one of the major cardiac surgeries performed to remove the damaged arteries and replace it for a proper supply of blood to the heart muscle. During the procedure, a long incision is made in the chest with a heart-lung machine to keep the blood flow and oxygen supply as usual. Then, the chest will be cut along the breastbone to open the rib cage in order to expose the heart.
At this stage, your heart will be temporarily stopped with medications. The surgeon will select a section of blood vessels from the chest wall or lower legs and attach the ends above and below the blocked artery, whereby the blood flow gets redirected to the narrowed part of a diseased artery.
Aortic Aneurysm Surgery
An aneurysm is the abnormal dilatation of the walls of blood vessels especially arteries causing them to weaken and rupture overtime. The main artery which supplies the blood from the heart to the rest of the body is the Aorta. Aneurysms are commonly found in the aorta within the abdominal region mainly below the kidneys.
During these types of cardiac surgeries, general anesthesia is given and an incision is made either on the abdomen or in the chest and side depending on the type of aortic aneurysm surgery. Clamps are placed above the aorta and weakened sections to stop the blood flow. Then grafts are made into the aorta, above and below the weaker sections using a strong, flexible material. Then the clamps are removed and walls of the weakened aorta are wrapped around the graft and sewn into place, and incisions are closed with stitches or staples.
Recovery Time
The recovery time relies upon the type of medical procedure a patient undergoes. However, for most kinds of cardiac procedures, a patient will probably go through a day or more in the hospital’s intensive care unit. After that, he/she will be shifted to the general ward of the hospital for several days or weeks until they are dispersed to home. For minimally invasive procedures, a patient can expect a shorter recovery timeline of around 3-4 weeks.
What Has to Be Done to Ease Back to Daily Routine?
You will be anxious to recover from the cardiac surgeries but ensure to allow the body to heal completely by
- Following the health team’s recommendations, especially while lifting heavy objects and driving
- Stop performing an activity of extreme exertion to avoid the risk of injuries or complications
- Adopt lifestyle choices by eating a healthy diet, reducing your stress, getting enough sleep, and avoiding smoking
Above all, be patient to recover and regain strength to aid you in faster and better healing.
