Open heart surgery, a risky procedure

Obviously, open-heart surgery is inseparable from cardiovascular disease.

What are the indications for open heart surgery?

THE’open heart surgery is indicated for all people who have a heart problem and for whom surgery is the only possible treatment. This is particularly the case when it is necessary to repair or change a heart valve, during coronary bypass surgery, during aortic surgery or even during any other type of heart surgery. Open-heart surgery is only offered to patients when the medical teams consider that the surgical risk associated with the intervention is lower than that of doing nothing or letting the medical treatment act.

How is the operation going?

To be performed, an open-heart procedure first requires evacuating the blood contained in the heart. For this, medical teams stop blood circulation by obstructing the two vena cava (the veins responsible for bringing blood to the heart). To compensate for the lack of oxygenation of the body by normal blood circulation, the patient is then placed in hypothermia or else connected to a pump which makes it possible to maintain blood circulation artificially. Surgeons can finally proceed to open heart surgery. Depending on the procedure performed, the open heart operation can last less than 3 hours or more than 8 hours.

Is it painful?

THE’open heart surgery is performed under general anesthesia. Asleep, the patient therefore feels no pain during the operation. When he wakes up, he may experience chest pain due to the opening of the breastbone. These pains are more or less severe depending on the patient. Appropriate medical treatment (analgesics, infusions, analgesics, opiates, etc.) is prescribed to the patient. Typically, a patient who undergoes open heart surgery is hospitalized for several days in intensive surgical care.

What are the complications of open heart surgery?

Any open-heart procedure presents numerous and significant risks of complications, including:

– ventricular dysfunction;
– a myocardial infarction;
– hypotension;
– tamponade;
– arrhythmias;
– haematological problems;
– pulmonary complications;
– neurological complications;
– infectious and metabolic complications and many more.

To these complications of open heart surgery, it is necessary to add those related to the general state of health of the patient and those related to general anesthesia.

What are the postoperative consequences of an open heart procedure?

Postoperative convalescence after open heart surgery lasts for several months. It includes a first part in the intensive care service of the health establishment, then in a specialized service before returning home. Any patient who has undergone an open heart operation benefits from regular monitoring. He was prescribed appropriate medical treatment (including anticoagulants) as well as cardiac rehabilitation. Depending on the results of a stress test, the patient may be allowed to resume moderate physical activity.

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