Heart Surgery

The heart is an integral organ of the human body. It works day in and day out to pump blood to all the other organs of the body. However, over time people may develop problems with their hearts. For this, they may require surgery if the medical condition is serious or life-threatening. Cardiac surgery and Cardiovascular surgery are also the terms for various heart surgeries.

Not all heart-related conditions require surgery, but in some cases, surgical intervention becomes necessary. With advancements in medical science, several types of technologically advanced cardiac surgeries have been established. Heart surgeries mainly aim to alleviate the symptoms and enhance the overall quality of life.

Different Types of Heart Surgeries

There are many types of heart surgeries which we can perform to treat various heart-related conditions. Some of these include:

• CABG (Bypass Surgery)
• Valve Replacements
• Congenital & Acquired Heart Defect Surgery
• Peripheral Vascular Surgery
• Laser for Varicose Veins

Preparation Before Heart Surgery

Heart Surgery can be a major or minimally invasive procedure. Depending upon the type of heart surgery prescribed to you, we recommend you make the following preparations before the day of your surgery arrives:

1. Consultation:

   Consult your surgeon a few weeks before the surgery. Prepare all the questions you might have and get all your queries answered. You may want to ask about the level of physical exercise you can do before the surgery. Ask your doctor about all the details of the procedure to understand how you need to prepare. Post-operative consultation is also important. Talk at length with your surgeon about the dos and don’ts after the surgery.

2. Medication:

   Take all the prescribed medications your doctor has asked you to take before the procedure. The doctor may also prescribe you to stop taking certain medications a few days before the surgery.

3. Diet:

   Ask your doctor about what you can eat before the surgery. Doctors may advise you to fast a few hours before the surgery. Follow the diet recommendations strictly.

4. Dental Checkup:

   Dental checkup is an important part of preoperative preparation. It is because dental problems can lead to the postponement of the surgery. Bacteria in the mouth may cause infections after heart surgery; hence, it is important to have a full dental checkup.

5. Family Spokesperson:

   Before your surgery, you might want to think about naming a spokesperson from your family. This person will be a trustworthy guardian who might have to make decisions for you when undergoing surgery or are under anaesthesia. You should also give any advanced directives if any.

6. Recovery Planning:

   Before your surgery, take some time to decide how you will spend your recovery period. Think about questions like who will drive you home, who will be with you if you need anything while you are recovering, etc.

Benefits of the Procedure

Heart surgery can reduce many of your dangerous symptoms and improve the overall quality of life. Some major benefits of heart surgery include:

1. Improvement in Heart Function
2. Ease in Chest Pain
3. Ease in Shortness of Breath
4. Reduced risk of a Heart Attack

Eligibility

Doctors perform extensive tests and checkups to evaluate if a patient is eligible for a particular heart surgery. Not all patients are eligible for all heart surgery procedures as it can be risky. The surgeons may perform one or more of the following tests to see if a patient is eligible for a specific surgery:

• Ankle-Brachial Index
• Blood work
• Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Catheterization/Angiogram of the Heart
• CT scans of Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis
• Doppler Ultrasound of the Carotid Arteries
• Echocardiogram
• Pulmonary Function Test

The doctors may also perform further tests if necessary. Our experienced cardiac team will then review these tests to evaluate whether a patient is eligible for a certain kind of heart surgery.

Who is not Eligible For Heart Surgery?

Certain factors can make you ineligible for heart surgery. These include the following:

1. Any Active Infections
2. Allergies to Blood Thinners
3. Allergies to metals or radio-imaging agents
4. Other existing medical conditions
5. Recent medical history of cancer
6. Inappropriate age for heart transplant surgery

In addition to these factors, our certified heart team of heart surgeons & physicians will carefully evaluate the patients for any other issue that may make them ineligible for surgery. If a patient is found to be ineligible for surgery, alternative treatment plans will be devised to help them tackle their medical condition in the best possible way.

Heart surgery can sound scary, but with a dedicated and experienced team of doctors at Metro Hospitals, we ensure that our patients are supported and comforted every step of the way to make things easy for them.