The most common surgery performed for the heart is heart bypass surgery. When a blood vessel
becomes partially or fully blocked then bypass surgery is advised. This operation is a very complex
operation that takes a significant amount of preparation time and recovery time is required in this as it
is not an easy surgery. Most of the time the operation is planned but sometimes the operation must be
done quickly due to some emergency. The risk of heart attack and death can be lowered by this
procedure.
What is the procedure?
Many kinds of procedures can be used to perform bypass surgery. It could be done in an open heart
manner and even less invasive methods like medicines and stent can be used. If the blockage is left
blocked then this could lead to heart attack and even death. The vessels from chest, arms, legs could be
taken and used to replace the blocked artery and this allows blood to reach the heart. An extra set of
lungs and heart are used during the surgery so that there is blood circulation in the body and the patient
does not die.
Types of heart bypass surgery
The opening of the chest area and operating of the heart is done in bypass surgery. There are mainly two
types of bypass surgeries that are:
1. On-pump surgery
2. Off-pump surgery
On pump surgery: To circulate blood and air in the body a heart-lung machine is used and using the
machine makes it an on pump surgery.
Off-pump surgery: This type of bypass surgery is done without using the heart-lung machine whereas the
heart is still pumping when the surgery is performed.
The best way to do the surgery is decided by the doctor himself and the best cardiologist in India will
help you in every way to go through the process.
What should the patient expect before the surgery?
Before the heart bypass surgery the patient should follow the following list of instructions:
● Three days before the surgery no drugs containing aspirin should be taken.
● Smoking creates mucus in our lungs so the patient should not smoke at all before and
after the surgery.
● Some friend or family member should take up the duty to stay with the patient after the
surgery when he or she returns home.
● Eating and drinking should be avoided the night before the surgery.
The success rate of the surgery
These surgeries are very serious as the doctor has the life of the patients in his or her hands.
Hundreds and thousands of surgeries are performed by the doctors in a time span of one year and most
of these surgeries come out to be successful.
Only about two to three percent of bypass surgery patients die after the surgery.
Recovery time
When the patient wakes up he or she has a breathing tube down the throat for at least a time span of 24
hrs. Feeling of soreness and night sweats is normal. Usually, the patient can start eating after the doctor
has removed the breathing tube.
