Heart Bypass – Things You Should Know and Avoid

Executive summary about Heart Bypass by Ivan Hince

In this article you learn all about the things you should know about Heart Bypass Surgery, and the things you should avoid to eliminate the chances of having a heart attack. Before I go head long into this subject I must point out that I will not use long medical terms which to me are fine for Doctors to use, but not for the average person.

What is a Heart Bypass?

A heart bypass is performed by surgeons when the arteries that supply the heart with blood do not supply enough blood or oxygen. This is normally caused by the narrowing of the arteries that have a build up of a plaque type substance, and cholesterol. In severe cases even a small blood clot can block an artery which will cause a heart attack.

The heart bypass is a way of introducing more blood and oxygen back to the heart, and simply bypassing the troubled arteries.

Who gets these blocked arteries?

The actual figure is hard to define, yet I have read from one source that there are at least 500,000 cases of heart bypass in the United States alone each year, and probably well over one million heart attack cases as well. Men over the age of 45 are the most vulnerable, while the age for women is normally around 55 years old.

What causes blocked arteries?

If you have ever read any of my other articles you will have probably guessed that it’s your diet, or to many cigarettes.

The modern way of life tends to have glorious adverts showing how wonderful fast food is, and for a lot of people it’s convenient, and it’s as the name suggests, quick. Obesity is fast becoming an epidemic, and along with that it will cause health problems, after health problems.

How is it diagnosed?

On a normal trip to the Doctors and once you get over the age of 45 your Doctor will more than likely test your blood pressure. If this turns as a high reading there are several things he will do. Normally he will put you on tablets to bring the pressure down, and in the case of shortness of breath, or pains in the chest you will be put on an a electrocardiograph machine which will monitor you heart rate. Some Doctors will do that in all cases of high blood pressure.

If your readings look at all unusual you will be sent to see a specialist who will also try to diagnose why you having problems. These tests include ultrasound, ct scans, and sometimes the patient will be put on a treadmill to see how the heart copes with the stress of working hard.

What Patients Should Know About Heart Bypass Surgery

Executive summary about Heart Bypass by Alice Lane

Before receiving surgery the patients are given anesthesia, which renders them unconscious and unable to feel the pain. The anesthesia effects last for the entire time of the surgery. Most of the people who have bypass surgery are connected to a bypass pump or a heart-lung bypass machine which does the work of the heart while the heart is stopped during surgery. The machine circulates the blood and adds oxygen to it. Another method of surgery doesn’t use the machine but rather allows the bypass to be created while the heart is still beating (termed off pump coronary artery bypass).

Once the patients are unconscious, the surgeon cuts an incision 10 inches long in the center of the chest (in the case of robotic heart surgery, three very tiny incisions are made instead of one large one). Then, the breastbone is separated to permit the surgeon to see the heart and aorta (the principal blood vessel leading out from the heart). The surgeon will take an artery or vein from another part of the patients’ bodies and use it to make a graft (a detour) around the artery’s blocked area. Frequently the saphenous vein in the leg is used – an incision is made along the inside of the leg between the groin and ankle to cut the vein, which is then sewn to the coronary artery on one end and to an opening in the aorta on the other. Sometimes the internal mammary artery in the chest is used for grafting; this has the advantage that one end of this artery is already connected to the aorta, so only the other end needs to be sewn to the coronary artery. After the graft is done, the patients’ breastbone is reconnected with a wire (which remains in the body) and the incision is closed.

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