Contents:
- Medical Video: Heart Bypass Surgery (CABG)
- What is heart bypass surgery?
- Who needs to do heart bypass surgery?
- Are there risks that can be caused by heart bypass surgery?
Medical Video: Heart Bypass Surgery (CABG)
Have you or your relatives been advised to have a heart bypass surgery? Maybe you have heard this operation often in the ear, but do you really know what heart bypass surgery is and who needs to do it? Check out this article before entering the operating room.
What is heart bypass surgery?
Heart bypass surgery is an operation performed to divert blood flow from blocked arteries to other blood vessels that are not blocked in your heart. This operation aims to make blood flow more smoothly from and to the heart.
To create this new blood flow pathway, the blood vessels in the heart must be added. Usually, healthy blood vessels in the legs, arms or chest are taken to create this new pathway. That way, the blood won't pass through the blocked heart area, so you won't feel any pain or chest pain again.
For some people, heart bypass can improve the function of the heart and increase life expectancy. The risk of death from heart disease usually decreases by carrying out heart bypass surgery.
Who needs to do heart bypass surgery?
Normal heart bypass surgery is needed by people who have severe coronary heart disease that can cause a heart attack. However, not all. According to the Mayo Clinic, coronary bypass surgery is an option if:
- You experience severe chest pain caused by a lack of blood supply to the heart muscle. Sometimes, angioplasty and heart ring placement may help this, but heart bypass surgery can be the best choice for some types of blockages.
- You have more than one coronary artery that has a problem and the left ventricle (as the main blood pump) does not function properly.
- The left coronary artery blood vessels are very narrow.
- You have had an angioplasty or a heart ring installed but have not managed to reduce your pain, or the blood vessels narrow again after doing so.
Heart bypass surgery can also be needed during or after a heart attack to overcome blockages in the arteries. Your doctor may also recommend that you bypass your heart if lifestyle changes (avoid high cholesterol foods) and drugs have not been successful in managing your heart disease. Before making a heart bypass, you should first consult with your doctor.
Are there risks that can be caused by heart bypass surgery?
Like other operations, despite the high level of success, bypass surgery is a major operation that also has risks. Some of the risks that may occur after heart bypass surgery are:
- Fever
- Infection or bleeding in suture wounds
- Feel pain or pain
- Short-term memory and thought processes become rather slow
- Fluid buildup occurs
- Stroke
However, when you have recovered, your symptoms of coronary heart disease will improve and your risk of heart attack will be lower.
You need to rememberAfter heart bypass surgery, you still have to make a healthy lifestyle and maintain your food intake. This is done to keep your cholesterol level within normal limits, reduce the risk of blood clots, and to keep your heart functioning properly. Remember, heart bypass surgery does not cure heart disease.
