Open-heart surgery is a major surgery in which the chest cavity is opened up so that the surgeon may go in to repair any damage to the heart, the heart’s surface arteries, valves, or any other area of the heart muscle. During open-heart surgery a heart-lung machine is used to help the blood and oxygen circulate throughout the body. The heart-lung machine also removes excess carbon-dioxide from the blood and keeps the patient asleep by administering anesthesia. There are several different surgeries that classify as open-heart surgery including aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, and a heart transplant. Open-heart surgery is one of the most common surgeries done in the United States and the survival rate for open-heart surgeries is very high.

Even though open-heart surgeries have a high survival rate, there are some risks that come with having this type of surgery. Older people typically have the most risk. Patients with preexisting health conditions also have a higher risk than those that do not. Some minor risks include bleeding or bruising, infection, nausea, numbness at surgery sight, abnormal scar formation, and allergic reaction to surgical dressings. Some patients have experienced a stroke or transient ischemic attacks (TIA), which is a mini-stroke, right after the open-heart surgery. Other major risks include: heart attack, kidney failure, nerve and organ damage, irregular heartbeats, and pneumonia. These risks are very rare as open-heart surgery is a fairly routine procedure.

In the days before the surgery is scheduled the patient will undergo a multitude of tests. Some of these tests include: blood tests, electrocardiogram, lung function tests, and a chest x-ray to give the surgeon an idea of the size of the heart and lungs. Eight hours before the surgery the patient is not to eat or drink anything. They are also not allowed to take any medications, unless otherwise told by their surgeon. Patients of open-heart surgery will typically spend three to five days in the hospital. After the surgery, the patient will be monitored carefully. For the first few hours and sometimes as long as a day, the patient will be monitored in the surgical intensive-care unit. Some symptoms that an open-heart surgery patient might encounter are: loss of appetite, mild memory loss, disorientation, difficulty sleeping, constipation, muscle pain, and pain around the incision site. These symptoms should go away four to six weeks after the surgery. One open-heart surgery should be adequate to fix any problems associated with the heart, unless something occurs years later. However, sometimes maintenance surgeries do have to be performed. That is usually rare unless the patient has severe heart damage.

Related Articles

• Guide to Heart Transplants
• Common Heart Arrhythmia Treatment Options for Patients
• Heart Surgery
• Heart Disease
• What Is Cordarone And How It Can Help My Heart
• Rythmodan: A Solution For Irregular Heart Beat
• Top 10 Heart Problem Symptoms