Coronary Arteries Bypass Surgery at Yashoda Hospital

The Centre for Heart Disease at Yashoda Hospital specializes in offering effective surgical treatment for long term relief from coronary artery disease. Coronary Artery Disease is one of the most common heart problems. Blocked or narrowed arteries are one of the major reasons for heart surgeries worldwide. The team of cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons at the Yashoda Hospital takes care of all the procedures, including the complex ones.

The centre leads in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery and enjoys a high success rate in caring for patients with serious blockage. The team is competently backed by advanced equipment and well provided diagnostic labs.

The surgeons' team is ably supported by state-of-the-art hi-tech technology and fully equipped diagnostic labs to perform Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABS). It holds a proven record of conducting the most complex surgeries with a high success rate.

What Is Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery?

Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABS) is a type of surgery that is executed over patients suffering from Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). The surgery improves blood flow to the heart by redirecting blood around a section of a blocked or partially blocked artery in your heart. The CABS procedure involves taking a healthy blood vessel from the patient's leg, arm, or chest and connecting it beyond the heart's blocked arteries.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), also called Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a disease in which a waxy substance called plaque (plak) tends to build up inside the coronary arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart.

Over time, the plaque in the arteries hardens or rupture (break open). This plaque narrows the passage of oxygen-rich blood into the arteries, causing chest pain or discomfort called angina.

The four primary coronary arteries in the heart are:

• Right main coronary artery
• Left main coronary artery
• Left circumflex artery
• Left anterior descending artery

What Are The Indicators For Blocked/Narrowed Arteries?

Following are the signs and symptoms which indicate towards blocked or narrowed arteries:

• Shortness of Breath
• Persistent Chest Pain
• Fatigue
• Fainting
• Dizziness
• Pain in Left Arm or Shoulder
• Heart Attack
• Face Seems Gray
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Restlessness
• Perspiration and Clammy Skin

What Are The Causes Of Coronary Heart Disease?

There are certain health conditions and lifestyle issues that may trigger plaque formation in arteries, which are:

Non-modifiable Causes:

• Age (more than 70 years)
• Male gender
• Race (African Americans have more severe high BP than Caucasians)
• Family history of heart disease

Modifiable Causes:

• Diabetes
• Obesity which results in high cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Smoking/tobacco
• Lack of physical activity due to a sedentary lifestyle

What Are The Conditions We Treat Under Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery?

Some of the major conditions we treat with Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery are:

• Stable Angina
• Unstable Angina
• Myocardial Infarction
• Sudden Cardiac Arrest

How Is Coronary Heart Disease Diagnosed?

Nobody wants to suffer from heart disease, but we all should be ready to face any situation. It is better to get tested before one suffers from a heart attack. Many diagnostic tests can ascertain the condition of your arteries. You may need to go for more than one test, depending on your situation. Yashoda Centre for Heart Disease has an exclusive diagnostic centre for conducting various tests and scans that help doctors decide the right treatment for you. After your physical examination, your cardiologist might ask you to go for the following tests:

• ECG
• Echocardiogram
• CT scan
• PET scan
• MRI
• Coronary Angiogram
• Cardiac Catheterization

What Is The Procedure Of Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery?

Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, also called Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG), is recommended in multiple blockages.

Before the Procedure

Suppose your Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery is not in emergency conditions. In that case, your doctor will first admit you to the hospital and then perform the surgery, which generally takes between three and six hours and requires general anaesthesia.

For general anaesthesia, a surgeon inserts a breathing tube through the mouth of the patient. The breathing tube is attached to a ventilator, which aids breathing to the patient during and immediately after the surgery.

During the Procedure

• STEP 1: The surgeon extracts the healthy blood vessel from the patient's leg, supply, or chest for grafting, which is operated to build a bypass over the clogged artery. This helps in retaining normal blood flow to the heart.
• STEP 2: The team of surgeons now perform a minimally invasive surgery by making small incisions in the chest (often with the use of robotics and video imaging), through the sternum (breast bone). This gives a detailed view of coronary arteries. Due to the incision, the heart stops temporarily, and a heart-lung machine is used to circulate blood to the body.
• STEP 3: The surgeon now takes a section of the healthy blood vessel and attach it to the ends (above and below) of the blocked artery. This redirects the blood flow around the narrowed part of the diseased artery.
• STEP 4: After completing the graft, the surgeon will restore the heartbeat of the patient, thereby disengaging the heart-lung machine. The incision in the chest is also closed using a wire that remains on the body.

After the Procedure

A patient has to spend a day or two in the intensive care unit for monitoring purposes. However, the overall recovery time is around 12 weeks. Many people continue to remain symptom-free and feel better after surgery. However, they have to take certain precautions for a lifetime to improve their quality of life.

What Are The Precautions One Must Take To Avoid Coronary Heart Disease?

Some of the major precautions must take to avoid Coronary Heart Disease include:

• Maintain a healthy lifestyle
• Exercise daily for around 30 minutes, start with brisk walking
• Eat Healthy food filled with fresh vegetables and fruits
• Keep your sugar in check
• Don't take stress or live/work in a stressful environment
• Keep your blood pressure in check
• Keep a tab on your cholesterol
• Maintain your BMI

Are There Any Complications Involved?

A patient might have complications during or after the surgery. Possible complications include:

• Bleeding
• Fever
• Recent or worsening of pain around your chest wound
• Reddening around your chest wound
• Heart rhythm irregularities (arrhythmias)
• Infections of the chest wound
• Memory loss
• Kidney problems
• Stroke or Heart attack (due to a blood clot)

A patient must seek the immediate help of the doctor if the complications do not improve.