Triple Bypass Heart Surgery

Dear Readers I will hava a triple bypass surgery on 3rd July 2012 at National Heart Institute( IJN) Kuala Lumpur. I decided to research and share what I learned about it. Sorry for the distraction; but at our age we should be prepared for it. I hope this article will help to those who needs it. 

The National Heart Institute sets its mission as ‘to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke’. This gives us the picture of how serious people are in fighting death-causing diseases such as heart attack and stroke. Promoting healthy living practices somehow contribute to the growing awareness of the people on the dangers of these diseases and how these can be prevented.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), also referred to as coronary artery disease, is said to be topping the list of the major causes of death in the US regardless of gender. This CHD is caused by the accumulation of fatty substances in the blood vessel to the heart. These plaque or fatty substances will solidify and eventually cause heart blockage. The coronary arteries/blood vessels supply the heart with blood and oxygen. When the heart is not receiving enough blood and oxygen, the heart may slow down or stop. It will start manifesting in mild to severe chest pains, escalating to heart attacks or stroke. The worst case would even lead to death.

If you have blocked arteries, you run a very high chance of having a heart attack. But how are these blockages in the coronary arteries taken out?

There are two ways. If the blockage is not severe, angioplasty or stent placement are possible options. For extreme cases, it’s bypass surgery.

What is Bypass Surgery?

Let us first understand what bypass surgery is. More technically known as Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, this medical surgical procedure allows redirecting or bypassing blood around blocked arteries or blood vessels to allow an improved blood and oxygen flow to the heart. Arteries from other parts of the body are attached and implanted to the coronary arteries to serve as the new arteries to supply the heart with the needed blood and oxygen. The number of coronary arteries bypassed during the procedure is indicated by the terms single, double, triple, etc. For one coronary artery bypassed, the procedure is called single bypass surgery. For two arteries, it’s double bypass and so on.

Triple Bypass Surgery

This is a very delicate open heart surgery where three new blood vessels are grafted to the three blocked arteries. The surgeons decide on the number of grafts to be performed based on the severity of the conditions of the blocked arteries and so that the procedure will not be performed again in the future. This surgical procedure entails some risk of complications and the surgeons performing the surgery take all the necessary pre-surgery evaluation and consultations to make sure that the surgery will be a success.

Candidates for Triple Bypass Surgery

Anyone exhibiting observable symptoms of coronary heart disease is a likely candidate for triple bypass surgery. Some symptoms to note are :

• Chest pains usually felt on the left side
• Extreme bouts of anxiety
• Severe pain felt traversing the arms, neck, shoulders, tummy area and back
• Frequent palpitations
• Nausea and vomiting
• Excessive sweating
• Difficulty in breathing

Risks of Surgery

As in any surgery, there are the usual risks patient have to deal with after the procedure. Some of these risks common to all types of surgery are:

• Breathing problems
• Infections (urinary tract, chest and lungs)
• Blood clots in the legs
• Blood loss

Surgical risks of Triple Bypass Surgery include :

• Onset of heart attack or stroke
• Possible kidney or lung failure
• Chest wound infection
• Possibility of memory loss
• Post-pericardiotomy syndrome

Prognosis

In general, the outlook for patients who have undergone this procedure is good. Most surgeries keep the grafts unblocked and working well for many years. However, this procedure is no guarantee for the complete cure for coronary heart disease. Even the grafted arteries, over time may accumulate fatty substances which will harden and result to blocked arteries if the patient do not seriously consider life-changing lifestyle to slow down its recurrence.

Post Comment