Heart Bypass Surgery Know Its Benefits And Risks

Before you decide on the bypass heart surgery or heart attack treatment, it is wise to know about its benefits and risks associated with it. This article will give you details to weigh both the parameters before going forward for a speedy recovery and healthy life post-surgery.

Open heart surgery is one of the most complicated heart attack treatment. In this procedure, thy open the chest wide to examine the tissues, valves, and arteries surrounding the heart. However, with the advancement of technology and modernization of various surgical techniques, they perform this conventional heart surgery with only a small incision eliminating the wide opening of the chest. Hence, the word open-heart can be misinterpreted. Therefore, it is called a bypass heart surgery.

Such heart attack treatment is performed when either there is an issue with the flow of the blood and oxygen to the heart muscles or there is the stiffness of the arteries leading to the misfunctioning of the heart. Such issues lead to a heart attack, and that’s when such surgeries play a crucial role in saving a life. However, before performing the same, it is important to weigh its potential side effects and benefits.

Benefits:

• It helps to save life or lower the risk of heart attack if diagnosed and performed well in advance.
• The bypass surgery helps in relieving the critical symptoms of surgery like chest pain, breathlessness, and fatigue.
• It results in a lowered mortality rate even for high-risk patients having coronary artery diseases.
• Since it is a quick surgery procedure, the patient experience less hospital stay.
• As compared to other surgeries, this involves a less need for transfusion.
• One can get back to exercise and regular work soon after the surgery. After 6–8 weeks of breastbone healing, one can also perform arduous activities.

Side-Effects:

• As per numbers, around 30% of the bypass surgery patients need a blood transfusion after surgery too.
• Some allergic reactions, breathing problems, and infection are possible to few people.
• Abnormal heart rhythm is one of the common risks that can also lead to blood clots inside the heart. This can even lead to heart stroke or other health issues.
• Many times, difficulty in thinking and impaired memory also takes place. This, in many cases, gets improved after 6–12 months.
• Patients with obesity or diabetes may also experience chest wound infection. It may also prevail in people who have had a CABG(Coronary artery bypass grafting) before.
• For up to 6 months post-surgery, approx. 30% of patients feel mild fever and chest pain.
• In rare cases, it may cause severe side effects like kidney or lung failure and in extreme cases, death.
• For some people, depression or anxiety after the surgery is one of the odd after-effects to experience.

Since it is a complicated surgery, one can expect gradual recovery after this heart attack treatment. Keeping the incision care at the point, being regular in taking the prescribed pain management medicines, and getting adequate sleep are important in speedy recovery. Intake of a healthy diet like cutting on salt, fat, and sugar, leading a fresh and active lifestyle, quitting smoking or use of any nicotine products, and keeping the blood pressure and cholesterol under control, one can recover in 6 months or fewer. All this can help one recover to a normal pleasant life.