Heart Surgeries
More than a half million surgeries are done each year to correct heart problems among children and adults.
Although there are more than a half-dozen types of heart surgeries, the most common treats coronary artery disease, which is caused when a fatty substance that accumulates inside the arteries blocks or slows down blood flow.
To treat this disease, a surgeon performs coronary artery bypass grafting, which uses a blood vessel taken from another part of the body to bypass the blocked artery. This can help prevent a heart attack.
Heart surgery can repair heart valves that do not open and close properly, and can treat irregular heartbeats and chest pain. Diseased hearts can be replaced during a heart transplant, and mechanical pumps can be inserted to help the heart function properly.
Heart surgery can either be minimally invasive, where a small cut is made into the side of the chest or can be classified as open-heart, where a large cut is made into the chest to expose the rib cage.
Recently Answered
- Q Is angioplasty and stenting a common procedure
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Yes angioplasty and stenting is very common. Over 2,200 people in the United States die per day of a heart attack (Center for Disease Control 2011). Most people having a heart attack do not die. If the individual having a heart attack has a certain type... Full Answer
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- Q What are the best medications to take after heart stent placement?
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Aspirin is always given when someone has a heart artery stent placement and many of the stents used are called "drug-eluting" stents and these stents also require the use of more powerful anti-platelet drugs e.g. clopidogrel for at least a year. Patient... Full Answer
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- Q Can I have a heart valve replacement if I'm allergic to nickel?
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Yes, you can have a heart valve replacement if you are allergic to nickel. There are many different heart valves available for replacement. Some are bioprosthetic meaning they come from cadaver humans. Pig valves are also commonly used... Full Answer
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- Q Does a second heart surgery increase the possibility of death?
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Usually having a second heart surgery does carry a slightly higher risk of death than a first time surgery. This is usually because the surgeon has to cut through a lot of scar tissue that takes more time. The surgeon will quote a patient the risk prior... Full Answer
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- Q What is bypass surgery?
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Coronary artery bypass graft, often referred to by its initials CABG or as coronary bypass surgery or simply bypass surgery, is a surgical procedure used to reroute the blood supply around a blocked section of a coronary artery. Surgeons remove healthy... Full Answer
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- Q Are there alternatives to the dye used in heart surgery?
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Joane Goodroe, NursingDye is used in a cardiac catheterization which is a procedure to determine if there is disease in the heart. A cardiologist determines if a cardiac catheterization needs to be done before open heart surgery. There are different types of dye available. If... Full Answer
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- Q What do I need to do before a heart surgery?
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There are many types of heart surgery. The type you need depends on your situation. One person's experience before an operation can be very different from another's. Some people carefully plan their surgeries with their doctors. They know exactly when... Full Answer
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- Q What is valve surgery?
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Depending on the extent of your valve disease, you may need to have the valve repaired or replaced surgically. There are several types of valve surgery used for different conditions. To repair a stenosis, where the opening of the valve becomes... Full Answer
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- Q What are the risks of an aortic balloon valvuloplasty?
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A valvotomy procedure for children, teens and adults has low risk for serious complications. But for older adults, serious complications happen in 1 or 2 out of 10 people who have this procedure. These problems include stroke, heart attack and aortic... Full Answer
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- Q Why may I need balloon valvuloplasty for aortic valve stenosis?
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Balloon valvuloplasty is not an option for most people who have aortic valve stenosis. Children, teens and young adults Balloon valvuloplasty might be used in some children, teens and young adults in their 20s who have aortic valve stenosis. This group... Full Answer
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