Types of Cardiac Heart Surgery

Heart-related problems are very common these days. But, it’s a myth that every heart problem requires heart surgery. There can be several factors that may responsible for heart problems. Factors such as medications, lifestyle changes, nonsurgical procedures and many more. These days such factors are very normal. No matter what’s your age, heart problems can be possible at any age. Do you know, a heart problem may affect your brain too?

Heart problems may be at greater risk for mental changes and the common problem is dementia. It is a condition in which a person may feel problems with memory, language, thinking skills. Memory loss is a major example of Dementia.

To prevent the brain, doctors are now using Cerebral Embolic Protection devices during heart surgeries.

Let’s discuss the types of heart surgery:

Depending on the type of problem there are several types of heart surgery. 

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) :

This is one of the most common types of heart surgery. In CABG the surgeon picks a healthy vein or artery from the body and then connects it to the blocked artery. This will create a new path for blood to flow across the heart muscles.

Heart valve repair or replacement :

 

In this type of heart surgery, surgeons replace or repair a heart valve with artificial or biological value. The biological valve is made up of human, cow or pig heart tissue. Another repair option is to insert a catheter through a large blood vessel, guide it to the heart and inflate and deflate a small balloon at the tip of the catheter to widen a narrow valve.

 

Maze surgery :

  

In short “maze” means “puzzle”.

In maze surgery, surgeon creates a puzzle like network of tissues to redirect electrical signals from upper heart champers to the lower heart chambers.

Aneurysm repair :

 

In this type of repair, a weak section of the heart walls or artery is replaced with a graft or patch. This surgery is responsible to repair a balloon-like bulge present on the wall of the heart muscle.

Heart transplant : 

You may be aware of heart transplant. In this process, the heart is replaced with a healthy heart from the body.

Heart surgeries may save your life but it has risks too! Few risks are identified by The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute which includes:

 

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Reactions to anaesthesia
• Damage to tissues in the heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs
• Stroke
• Death, especially for someone who is already very sick before surgery

In these major surgeries, the risk is higher.

Thus, it’s better to reduce the chance of getting heart disease. You just need to make a few changes from your daily routine:

• Control your blood pressure
• Keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels under control
• Stay at a healthy weight
• Eat a healthy diet
• Get regular exercise
• Limit alcohol
• Don't smoke
• Manage stress

Following these habits may help you to have a healthy heart and prevent you from getting a chance of heart disease.