Do you know that the heart Doctors is just the size of your fist?
It’s hard to believe how this tiny organ is so important. Not only does it contribute at physical levels but emotional levels as well. The tiny heart has the ability to stop you from breathing.
It pumps blood all through the body and provides oxygen and other nutrients to the organs. Imagine if one day the heart stops functioning, this might kill you. However, doctors come as saviors. There are specialized heart surgeons who prevent the heart from rupturing.
There are several heart surgery hospitals around the world. In India, doctors from one of the top heart surgery hospitals in Bangalore say that being a heart surgeon is both risky and a soul-satisfying job.
With so many heart surgery hospitals around, you can only count on some of the top heart surgery hospitals in Bangalore, Chennai, and other cities for their high-class facilities.
Everything about the heart
The heart consists of four chambers in total, the upper two chambers are known as the right and left atria and the lower two chambers are known as the right and left ventricles.
There are valves in between the atria and ventricles. They make sure of the direction of the blood flow in the body. The valves that are located at the exits are called pulmonary and aortic valves.
They are also called one-way valves, they prevent the reverse flow of blood. When these valves don’t function properly, a sufficient amount of blood is not supplied to the body and one may feel tired or fall sick because of this.
The most common heart surgery among adults is bypass grafting. Heart surgeries are usually frightening. People often freak out when they hear the word surgery. Most heart surgeries are often major surgeries that are oftentimes successful.
But they too bear risks like internal bleeding, infection, stroke, damage of tissues in the heart, kidney, liver, or lungs, and in rare cases, it may cause death (this usually happens when the person has already suffered a lot before and after the surgery).
Heart-related problems do not always require surgery a few problems can be cured by bringing changes in the lifestyle and proper medication.
There are many types of heart surgeries. A part of the National Institutes of Health known as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have listed down a few common heart surgeries and they are:
- Coronary artery bypass grafting
- Heart valve repair or replacement
- Insertion of pacemaker
- Maze surgery
- Heart transplant
- Insertion of a ventricular assist device
Coronary artery bypass grafting:
This is the most common heart surgery performed for adults. Basically, it’s done to create a new path for the blood to flow. It’s the placement of a healthy artery or vein across the blocked coronary for the smooth flow of blood.
Often there is more than one coronary artery used in surgery. Coronary artery bypass grafting is also known as heart bypass or coronary artery bypass surgery.
Heart valve repair or replacement:
Doctors can either repair or replace the existing valve with an artificial valve or by biological valve from a pig, a cow, or from human tissues. Usually, a catheter is inserted for the proper flow of blood in the body.
Insertion of pacemaker:
A few people suffer from arrhythmia, it’s a disease where the heart either beats fast or slow and in some cases, it beats on an irregular rhythm.
This is first treated with medication and only when the medication doesn’t work pacemakers are inserted for the proper pumping of the heart. The pacemaker uses electronic pumping in order to make the heartbeat normal.
Maze surgery:
In this particular surgery, the surgeon creates a scar of tissue pattern to redirect electrical signals to the lower chambers. This will block the stray electric signals which may cause a serious form of arrhythmia.
Heart transplant:
The heart with the disease is replaced with a healthy heart. They are usually donated by the deceased donors. This usually occurs to old people whose heart hardly has the strength to function.
Insertion of ventricular assist device:
In this surgery VAD or total artificial heart, TAH is involved. A machine is fixed for the pumping of the heart. Basically, the machine performs all the functions that a normal heart does.
These heart diseases and surgeries are both emotionally and financially draining. Not all heart diseases are curable. A few cases are critical as they might have other diseases like diabetes.
One beat could bring us life and a skip of a single beat could bring us to death this is what life is all about, a matter of just a single beat.
