What Is Open Heart Surgery?
Open heart surgery is a surgery that takes a blood vessel from somewhere else in the body and uses it to bypass a vessel in the heart that has become damaged and blocked. This improves the blood supply to the heart and thus improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle.
In most cases, this improvement in blood supply will help relieve many symptoms that you may be currently experiencing, including chest pain, pressure, or tightness.
Other names for open heart surgery include:
The heart is a hollow muscular organ about the size of a fist.
The heart's primary job is to pump blood throughout the body.
Because the heart is a muscle, it needs blood to function properly, which it gets from the coronary arteries. These arteries wrap around the outside of the heart, supplying oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the heart muscle.
The inside of a normal heart is divided into four chambers:
- Right atrium
- Left atrium
- Right ventricle
- Left ventricle.
Blood, in need of oxygen, flows in from the body and enters the right atrium. From the right atrium, blood is squeezed into the right ventricle through one of the heart's valves.
Heart valves keep blood flowing in a one-way direction by opening to let the proper amount of blood flow through and then closing to prevent backflow.
From the right ventricle, blood is pumped through another valve and then into the lungs, where it receives oxygen. Flowing back to the heart into the left atrium, the blood is then squeezed into the left ventricle through the mitral valve. From there, the oxygen-rich blood is pumped through the aortic valve and into the aorta, where it flows to the rest of the body.
Understanding Heart Disease
Heart muscle requires blood and oxygen to function properly. When you are doing a physical activity or something that is stressful to you, your heart muscle demands more blood and oxygen. However, if the coronary arteries are narrowed, this need cannot always be met. As a result, you may experience
heart disease symptoms such as
angina, or chest pain, irregular heartbeats, and shortness of breath. These
symptoms of heart disease may be temporary and last for only a few minutes. This happens because your heart is experiencing ischemia, which is a temporary lack of oxygen.
However, the longer the heart muscle goes without oxygen, the more serious the consequences. This is the case when arteries become blocked. Over time, the areas that are not getting enough nourishment can be permanently damaged, meaning that the heart tissue dies. This is what occurs with a
heart attack.
Besides leading to a heart attack, lack of oxygen can also result in serious irregular heart rhythms and even loss of life.
Preparing for Open Heart Surgery
Open heart surgery is performed in the hospital, and the average hospital stay is four to seven days. However, it is possible that you could stay longer.
Depending on your situation, you may undergo other tests prior to your open heart surgery. Your healthcare provider will explain the specific purpose of each test.
You will also be given specific instructions as to where and when to arrive at the medical facility, how to prepare for your open heart surgery, and what to expect the day of and the days following your surgery.
During open heart surgery, each of your blocked coronary arteries will be carefully inspected. Your surgeon will determine the ideal place to attach the new vessel or vessels. Usually the vessel is sewn into an area below the blockage, and then into a location in the aorta.
Complications of Open Heart Surgery
No procedure is ever completely free of risks. However, open heart surgery has been performed for many years with successful results and limited complications.
Open heart surgery complications include, but are not limited to:
On average, the mortality rate of open heart surgery is 3 out of 100 procedures.
It may be that in your doctor's practice, few of these open heart surgery complications have happened. However, because of your individual situation, your risk for major complications may be higher or lower; therefore, it is important that you discuss your risk with your doctor. It is important for you to know and understand the potential complications, so that you are fully informed before your open heart surgery.
Summary of Open Heart Surgery
The goal of open heart surgery is to take a blood vessel from somewhere else in your body and use it to bypass a vessel in your heart that has become damaged and blocked. This improves the blood supply to your heart and thus improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your heart muscle.
In most cases, this improvement in blood supply will help relieve many
heart disease symptoms that you may be currently experiencing, including chest pain, pressure, or tightness.
