Open Heart Surgery
Open heart surgery is medically a surgical treatment
of the heart. A cardiac specialist surgeon performs
it. The victims of heart disease undergo this surgical
procedure to have a relief from cardiac complications.
Open heart surgery is basically performed to treat congenital
heart disease and valvular heart disease. Various factors
are responsible for the development for these diseases
and endocarditis is one of them. Heart transplantation
is a sort of open heart surgery.
Procedure
Open heart surgery is an operation that involves the use of an artificial heart-lung machine during the procedure on the operative stage. The machine supports the circulatory system of the patient at the time of operation. The surgeon cuts open the chest and examine the state of the heart. Then, he makes changes to the arteries on the inner surface of the heart. Open heart surgery is a commonly performed operation in the U.S.A. There are various types of this surgery on the basis of the physical health and condition of the patient.
Patients who undergo open heart surgery are made to stay at hospital for at least four to five days after the surgery is performed. They are forbidden to smoke for almost two weeks before undergoing the surgery. The heart-lung machine runs the functions of the heart during the hours of the surgery. It takes the surgeon almost five hours to perform the operation.
Once the execution of an open heart surgery is complete, the place of incision is closed. Then, the heart is set back to its previous order. The surgeon makes sure that the heart begins to function normally and beat strongly before he disconnects the heart-lung machine.
Benefits and risks of the surgery
An open heart surgery corrects a congenital defect,
repairs a malfunctioning valve or replaces a blocked
artery successfully. Modern open heart surgery has become
a much common surgical procedure. Even if it has chances
of survival, it involves several complications like
infection and bleeding.
Complications
Patients may experience the following complications after being released from the hospital:
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Appetite loss |
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Sleeping difficulty |
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Constipation |
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Swelling of the incision site |
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Mood swings like depression |
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Mild disorientation |
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Temporary memory loss |
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Muscle pain in the upper portion of the back or
in the shoulders |
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Stroke or seizure |
Recovery
After the surgery is over, patient has to stay in the
hospital for 4 days, a week or even longer. During this
period, some tests are conducted to monitor the patient’s
recovery. The patient has to continue pain medications
or in some cases anticoagulants.
Usually, the aftereffects of open heart surgery fade away after four to six weeks. As the patients' start to recover, physician might advise them to join a physician strength building cardiac rehabilitation program.
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