my dad is about to have bypass heart surgery, what exactly do they do?

Question

do they take his entire heart out of his body?

Answer 1

Heart bypass surgery is when they take a piece of your vein from your leg (saphenous vein) or artery from your chest(internal mammary artery) and use it to re-route the blood from the blocked artery in the heart.

Basically the clot or blockage in the heart vessels is "by-passed" by the new vein or artery graft.

They dont take out the heart, but they do mometarily put it on a heart-lung machine.

Usually 3 arteries have to be blocked before they can perform a bypass(hence the name "triple bypass".)

Seen it done and its amazing!

Answer 2

I doubt they take the heart out of the body, but they will likely put him on a machine so they can supply oxygen to the blood while the heart is not beating.

My dad had quadruple bypass surgery about 10 years ago.

They took an artery from his leg and sliced four pieces out of that artery to use in his heart as alternate routes for arteries in the heart that were all at least 95 percent blocked.

It's a really rough procedure on the patient because they also have to stretch the rib cage to get in there.

Answer 3

I don't have anything more to add about the procedure. But a few words of advise. My mother had a triple bypass 2 years ago in Florida. I had a terrible experience with the hospital.

Make sure your father gets some pre-op teaching by a RN. No one did this for my mother. Fortunately, I work in an ICU and frequently do this teaching protocol. I did this with my mother. She told me after surgery, that even with the knowledge of post op treatments she was scared as hell. {even with me at her side, constantly explaining what they were doing}. She said it would be horrible not knowing what was going on.

Open heart surgery has become routine, but the first 1-2 post op days can be daunting to the patient. Pre-op teaching can help if the patient knows what to expect. Good luck.

Answer 4

Weight loss surgery-like gastric bypass /lap band surgery / stomach stapling and gastrectomy have become very common and very safe now. My cousin got her Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery in India. She has lost more than 65 lbs in 5 months and is very happy with the results. The price for obesity surgery is very less in India. My cousin just paid 25% of the cost she was quoted in America. She got her surgery from a company called Forerunners Healthcare.

Forerunners Healthcare is very famous in India. I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and magazines. I have read a lot of their patient stories also. They arrange financing for USA, Canadian, UK and other international patients who plan to have surgery abroad for low cost, as bariatric surgery and weight loss surgery is not covered by insurance. They also have photos pasted of their International patients. You can checkout their website. There are huge cost savings. As a doctor I personally believe that your Obesity surgery can be easily handled in India, as the quality of healthcare available In India is simply best in the world. The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.

http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com
Hope this helps.

Answer 5

ABOUT CORONARY BYPASS
The goal of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) is not to repair or remove any blocked arteries, but to detour blood around a blockage in a coronary artery and reestablish the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart. To create the detour, a segment of a blood vessel is taken from another part of the body. The segment may be taken from one of the following:
•The saphenous vein from the leg is commonly used.
•The internal mammary artery from the chest is usually preferred for key artery branches because it tends to remain open longer. Some call it the internal thoracic artery.
•The radial artery from the arm and sometimes arteries from the stomach (gastroepiploic artery) may also be used as bypass grafts.

Depending on which blood vessel is used, one end is either sewn to the aorta or may remain connected to the larger artery where it originated. The other end is attached (grafted) beyond the blockage in the coronary artery. As a result, blood can flow around the blocked area, increasing the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle.

Bypass surgery may be recommended for individuals with a history of any of the following:
•Narrowing in several coronary artery branches (common in people with diabetes)
•Severe narrowing in the left main coronary artery
•Blockage in the coronary artery or another condition that may not or has not responded to other treatments (e.g., angioplasty)
•Severe angina
Bypass surgery carries some risks, including a less than 5 percent chance of heart damage and a less than 2 percent chance of death. Studies show that women have a slightly higher risk during or immediately after bypass surgery. This may relate to the fact that women who undergo the surgery are generally older and in poorer health, and their smaller body size makes the surgery technically more difficult. However, the overall risks are relatively low when compared to the fact that many of these bypass operations significantly lengthen and improve the quality of the patient’s life.
In some cases, the grafted arteries may also become blocked and require a second bypass surgery. Second bypass has slightly higher risks than the initial surgery, because patients are older and other, less optimal blood vessels must be used for the new grafts. However, bypassed arteries can remain functioning for many years, especially when the patient makes diet and exercise adjustments for cardiac health. Therefore, bypass surgery remains a popular choice for physicians treating severe coronary artery disease.
During coronary bypass surgery
For several weeks before bypass surgery, patients who smoke will be advised to stop smoking. Many surgeons also advise their patients to stop taking aspirin to minimize the risks of excessive bleeding during and immediately after surgery. They will also be asked not to eat or drink anything after midnight before surgery. Certain medications, especially those that affect blood clotting, may be reduced or stopped. Patients should discuss their medication schedules with their physician.

The patient is usually admitted the morning of surgery. A few days before surgery, the patient undergoes a number of tests, which include an x-ray, blood tests, urinalysis and an electrocardiogram (EKG). The patient’s blood is typed and cross–matched with units of donor blood, according to the surgeon’s wishes. Blood transfusions may not be needed. Patients should know, however, that blood banks test blood to screen donor blood for most major diseases, such as hepatitis or AIDS.

The patient will be given specific pre-operative medications and is then prepared for surgery. The chest, groin and leg areas are shaved, and a bacteria-killing (bactericidal) solution is applied to the operative site and surrounding area. The patient is then sedated with medication given through an intravenous (I.V.) line in the arm or hand. As soon as the patient is asleep, an anesthetic inhalation gas (general anesthesia) is continuously administered through an endotracheal tube (breathing tube) and constantly monitored by the anesthesiologist.

After the patient is asleep, a device called a Swan-Ganz catheter is often inserted through a needle stick into the jugular vein (in the neck) and threaded to the pulmonary artery (which goes from the heart to the lungs). The catheter is used to measure heart function, measure the pressures in both the heart and lungs, and to give any necessary medications. The endotracheal tube, which was inserted into the mouth and down the windpipe (trachea), is used to maintain an airway. A urinary catheter is also inserted and connected to a collection bag to measure the patient’s urine output.

An incision is then made in the chest, through the breastbone (sternum), and the two halves of the breastbone are divided (median sternotomy). A medical device called a retractor is used to pull back the two halves of the breastbone to give the surgeon plenty of room to work. The ribs are not divided, reducing discomfort during recovery.

The functions of the heart, including blood flow and oxygenation, are rerouted through a heart-lung machine. While the machine takes care of the heart’s functions, the heartbeat can be carefully stopped by administering a cardioplegic solution. In total, the heart will remain stopped for about 30 to 90 minutes during the four to five hours (on average) of surgery.

Before the heart is stopped, the blood vessel(s) to be used as grafts are removed from their source location. If they are located in the chest, one end of the blood vessel(s) may remain connected to the larger artery it originated from, or it will be sewn to the aorta, depending on which blood vessel is used for the graft. The other end is sewn into place below the blockage in the coronary artery. After the graft(s) are completed, and blood is successfully flowing around the blockage, the heart is restarted and the patient is removed from the heart-lung machine. Finally, when normal blood flow and heartbeat are re-established, the surgical site is carefully closed layer by layer. The sternum is usually closed with wire and the surface incision is closed with staples or sutures, depending on the surgeon’s preference.

Although coronary bypass is a relatively safe surgery with an extensive history in patients, researchers are still looking for ways to improve it. For instance, studies are underway to investigate new ways of grafting blood vessels. One method involves a “sewing” device consisting of two sets of hooks. One set holds the graft; the other makes the attachment to the aorta. In the small group of individuals having undergone the procedure, the graft was connected in less than two minutes (versus up to seven minutes with current methods). Researchers also noted a better quality of connection. Moreover, it resulted in less time required on the heart-lung machine.

Another technique, still in the animal testing stages, involves connecting grafts with an adhesive. Researchers think that either procedure may someday find use in minimally invasive bypass surgery and may make the heart-lung machine unnecessary in standard coronary bypass surgery.

Answer 6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_bypass