Fatty deposits in the heart’s arteries lead to clogging and cause a heart attack. Cholesterol is bad for the heart. Too much fat in our diet can build fatty substances in the blood known as blood fats, which get converted into cholesterol. Excessive cholesterol can block arteries and lead to coronary heart disease.
Heart attacks are killer number one in the United States. Bad food habits and stress due to modern living styles has led to less exercise causing obesity, which is a major cause for heart disease.
The first bypass-heart surgery was performed on May 2nd,1960 at the Albert Einstein College of medicine-Bronx Municipal Hospital Center. The team that performed the surgery was led by Dr. Robert Goetz. and Dr. Michael Rohman with the help of Dr. Ronald Dee and Dr. Jordan Haller.
Why by pass heart surgery?
The coronary artery bypass surgery is a surgical procedure which is carried to relieve one from angina and relieve one from the risk of coronary heart disease
This clogging of arteries is a serious problem. Heart attacks can cause death also. When an artery gets clogged as mentioned earlier, it leads to heart attack. One procedure which is very common is to perform a heart surgery. Here a new piece of blood vessel is sewed as bridge, which is popularly known as bypass, over the blockage. The surgeon will not only fix the blocked artery, but will conduct similar surgery on other arteries that are likely to clog. In case, three arteries are repaired then it is called triple bypass surgery. In case four are repaired then it is known as quadruple bypass. Five such surgeries are known as quintuple bypass.
The arteries or the veins are taken elsewhere from the body of the patient and are grafted to the coronary arteries to by-pass artherosclerotic narrowings and also improve the supply of blood towards the coronary circulation that supplies the heart muscle.
The blood vessel which is used for by-pass is taken from the leg or the chest. The body has several redundant vessels which can be removed.
Aftermath of bypass
One has to take care of one’s diet. One has to avoid fats and foods that are high in cholesterol. After the operation, walking or swimming is recommended for increasing one’s strength. The doctor may also recommend a person to join a program for cardiac rehabilitation. In case, one has an office job one can go back to work after 4 to 6 weeks. Those have jobs that are physically demanding have to wait longer. In extreme cases one has to find a job which is not physically demanding. About 30% of bypass surgery patients require a second procedure after10 years.
Heart attacks need to be prevented by maintaining one’s stress levels. Diet and undertaking proper exercise. Obesity can kill you. Eat foods high in protein and less in fast and cholesterol. In case one develops heart disease such as coronary artery disease, one may be required to on in for heart surgery.
