Cardiovascular diseases are serious problems that lead to shortened life expectancy and sudden deaths all over the world. Many developments have been made in the field of medicine for many years in the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases, and studies on this subject continue. Today, open heart surgery remains the most commonly used method in the protection of heart health and the treatment of heart diseases.
Open heart surgery is a type of operation that intervenes in coronary vessels, heart valves, congenital heart diseases, heart tumors and aorta. With the emergence of new techniques in heart surgery practices, it has begun to be called traditional heart surgery.
So why is open heart surgery necessary?
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Bypass operation performed when there is narrowing of the vessels as a result of atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis),
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Repair or replacement of the valves that send blood to the body,
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Removal of clots and tumors in the heart
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Heart repairing damaged areas,
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Inserting medical devices that regulate heart rhythm,
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Repairing congenital heart anomalies,
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Replacing a heart that is not functioning properly and has developed advanced heart failure with a donated heart. Heart transplant.
It seems that the most common heart surgery method applied to adults is coronary bypass surgery. By connecting the arteries that cannot fulfill their duties to the arteries that work in a healthy way, clean blood is pumped to the heart. The standard incision in open heart surgery is to cut the frontal bone of the chest. This creates a comfortable working area for the surgeon for all open heart surgeries. However, patients should expect full recovery within 6 weeks. During this period, patients do their daily activities but are careful. However, with the developments in the field of medicine, this cutting procedure is performed at a much more minimal level and the patient's quality of life is affected only slightly after the surgery. Recently, the sternum has been partially cut or removed. This surgery can be performed with a small incision under the lower back.
Before Open Heart Surgery
Preoperative preparation of the patient who will undergo open heart surgery is very important. Unless there is an extraordinary situation, the patient is admitted to the hospital one day in advance. Apart from the cardiologist and cardiac surgeon, the anesthesiologist also evaluates the patient and tests are requested and almost a check-up is performed. While some of the medications previously used continue, medications such as blood thinners are also discontinued. Necessary warnings will be given that they should not use any medication after being hospitalized. The use of alcohol, cigarettes and blood thinning drugs should be stopped before the surgery. If the patient has medications that he uses regularly, he should inform the doctor about this.
The patient should be washed with a special bacterial soap given by the doctor one day before the surgery. In this way, infection-related situations that may occur during surgery are prevented.
Open heart surgery performed under general anesthesia is an operation that takes approximately 6 hours. This period depends on the transactions to be performed. Therefore, how long the surgery will take can only be estimated and cannot be known for sure.
While the patient is under the influence of anesthesia, an 8 - 10 inch incision is made in the chest area. Open heart surgery is usually performed on a stationary heart. For this reason, the heart is connected to the bypass machine during surgery and the function of the heart is fulfilled in this way. Depending on the surgeon's preference, a bypass machine may not be used in some surgeries. In recent years, the number of cardiac surgical procedures performed by experienced surgeons has increased.
An artery or vein is used to provide a new path to the heart instead of unhealthy arteries. After the procedure is completed, the sternum is closed with the help of wire. The wire is not removed from the body. The surgery is completed after the cut areas are closed with stitches. The stitches should be checked by the surgeon at regular intervals. It takes time for the breastbone to heal. The patient should pay close attention to his care during this process and protect his chest area by taking precautions such as lying only on his back until he recovers. Has After waking up, there are two or three tubes in your chest. The purpose of these tubes is to remove harmful fluids around the heart.
One of the biggest risks of open heart surgery is infection. After the surgery, the patient should not be allowed to see anyone for at least 4-5 days. Even the slightest infection that the patient contracts may endanger the patient's life. For this reason, the patient is taken to a normal room only after 8 to 9 days.
Other possible risks of open heart surgery include:
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Heart compression
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Heart attack
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Infection
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Blood loss
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Blood clotting
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Chest pain
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Breathing problems
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Lung failure
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Kidney failure
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Dizziness
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Memory problems
After Open Heart Surgery
7 weeks after heart surgery, the patient can start to stand up. When he needs to move around, he should only take short walks in the fresh air. It is normal to feel dizzy, tired, loss of appetite and weakness. The patient should not tire himself/herself.
You should definitely sleep on your back during the 6-7 week period. You should not turn sideways. This movement may cause the sternum to open. The patient should avoid harsh movements, even when standing up and coughing, until the sternum boils.
Open heart surgery is not just an operation, it is a process with before and after. In this process, the patient needs to make some changes in his lifestyle. During the preparation for the surgery and the recovery period after it, the patient should get rid of bad habits, eat a healthy and balanced diet, get plenty of rest, avoid stress, consume plenty of water, walk and exercise. The most troublesome aspect of open heart surgery for the patient is the long recovery process. However, adjusting the patient's lifestyle will shorten the recovery process.
Pain After Open Heart Surgery
Pain after open heart surgery Some may experience physiological and psychological changes. At the beginning of these changes; anxiety, depression and mild psychological problems. Both professional support and the support of the patient's relatives are of great importance in overcoming these problems.
The most common physiological problem after open heart surgery is pain. Pain can be felt at different levels in each patient; It usually occurs when coughing. Both the intervention applied to the leg veins and the lung capacity are seen as the reasons for this pain problem.
After open heart surgery, the patient's immune system should be strong, he should adopt a stress-free lifestyle and stay away from harmful habits such as smoking and alcohol. is required.
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