Surely you’ve heard about it before Open heart surgery And as soon as you hear about it, you feel anxiety and fear, because the heart is one of the most important and sensitive organs, and performing surgery on it definitely has its risks. Learn about this surgery, the reasons for performing it, how to do it, and also tips before and after surgery to avoid its risks.

What is open heart surgery?

It is a heart surgery to treat problems or damage to the heart muscle itself, valves, or arteries. This process is done by stopping the work of the heart and diverting the path of blood between the heart and lungs through a shunt device called a “bypass.” This device carries blood around the body instead of the heart. By delivering oxygen and removing carbon dioxide.

And there are 3 Types of open heart surgery They include:

• Coronary artery bypass.
• Open heart surgery to change the valve.
• Surgery to repair congenital heart defects in children after birth.

Reasons for open heart surgery

A heart patient may need to undergo open heart surgery to treat many heart diseases and problems, including:

Prepare for open heart surgery

Two weeks before the operation, you must tell your doctor about any medications or herbs you take. The doctor will also ask you to stop smoking and stop taking any blood-thinning medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen at least two weeks before the operation. You should also stop drinking any alcoholic beverages because they are It may cause serious complications during and after surgery.

One day before the surgery, the doctor will tell you more about personal care, the most important of which is taking a shower with an antibacterial soap to reduce the possibility of infection during the surgery. He will also ask you to stop eating or drinking anything after midnight of the operation.

How to perform open heart surgery

The surgery is done under general anesthesia, during which the surgeon will prepare a device Cardiopulmonary bypass And prepare the veins and arteries that will be used in the bypass to divert the path of blood, then he will make an incision in the middle of the chest through the sternum (the bone under the breast) so that he can reach the heart and arteries, after that the doctor will stop the heart from working so that he can perform surgery on a stable heart without Pulse, and during that blood will be carried around the body and the rest of the organs through the bypass.

After completing the repair of the heart problem, the doctor will restart the heart normally, stop the bypass, and wait until the normal heartbeat returns, after that he will close the wound and connect some wires to monitor vital signs, and this process usually lasts from 3-5 hours and may take longer depending on the problem to be treated.

What you should expect after the operation

Immediately after the operation, the patient will be transferred to the intensive care room and will stay there for a day or two to monitor his vital signs closely and until the danger stage is over. After that, the patient will be transferred to a private room to continue his care, and he may continue to stay in the hospital for another 5 days.

After returning home, do not expect a complete recovery, as the recovery time from open heart surgery usually takes about two months and may reach 6 months, and it is normal for the patient to feel pain and go through a very bad condition due to the postoperative shock and the nature of the operation in not a simple operation, but every It depends on how well you take care of yourself and how much you follow the doctor’s instructions to speed up your recovery.

Complications of open heart surgery

This surgery is considered one of the most dangerous surgeries, no one will deny that, but your knowledge of the risks should not discourage you from doing it because some diseases cannot be treated without this surgery. Here are some risks that the doctor should discuss with you and give you advice about:

• Inflammation of the wound due to infection (especially in diabetic and obese patients and those who underwent the same surgery before).
• Arrhythmia.
• Chest pain and a slight fever.
• Memory cluttered.
• Breathing difficulty.
• Blood loss during surgery.
• blood clots

Complications may increase for more serious cases, such as:

• Pneumonia.
• Heart attack or stroke.
• Kidney failure or pulmonary failure.

But here is some good news. Statistics have shown that the incidence of complications or death after this surgery has decreased significantly in the past years. Nowadays, it has increased. The success rate of open heart surgery More than 95% of those who underwent it did not experience any serious complications, and the death rate after surgery decreased to 1% or 2%.

Tips for recovery after open heart surgery

Here are some tips that must be followed after the operation so that the recovery takes place without other health problems:

Eating after open heart surgery

You may feel a loss of appetite after the surgery, and this is normal and does not cause concern, and your appetite will return to normal with time. During this time, you can eat small meals throughout the day, and they must contain healthy foods that increase your body’s strength so that it can recover.

Make sure to eat meals that are low in fat, salt, and cholesterol, and they should be rich in protein, such as fish, eggs, dairy products, and sugar, and you should not eat any ready-made meals from restaurants or canned food because they contain a lot of fat and salt.

sleeping habits

It is also normal for you to suffer from insomnia after surgery for a period of time that may last for several weeks, and this is also a normal thing that should not worry you, but to get rid of the inconvenience of this period, avoid taking a nap period in the middle of the day for more than 20 minutes, and instead you can rest a little and not Doing any physical activities, your bed should also be comfortable for your body position, and you should not have any caffeine during the day, especially in the evening.

But if the reason for not sleeping is the feeling of pain, you can take the painkillers prescribed by your doctor half an hour before your usual bedtime, and a warm bath can also help you relax and sleep.

Relieve pain

A major surgery like this can be followed by a lot of pain, so the doctor may sometimes prescribe opioid-based medications but it is difficult to get rid of it, so there are other alternatives that the doctor may prescribe such as acetaminophen, or some pain-relieving creams or patches (which should not be placed on In or around the wound), but if opioids have been used for a long time, you should follow up with the doctor on how to reduce it gradually so that your body does not get used to it.

Finally, open heart surgery may be frightening and disturbing, but in many cases it can only be resorted to to treat many health problems, otherwise the patient will be exposed to greater health problems, and we remind you, dear reader, of the need to consult a doctor and talk to him about all your concerns about this operation, and we wish you recovery Urgent.