This document was originally written in a Word Doc. It has been reformatted for the web.
By Donald M. Bricker
If you or a loved-one is about to undergo an open-heart surgery, or has just had an open-heart surgery, it’s understandable to have questions about the procedure and what it entails. In this document, we’ll explore the heart’s important functions in the human body, what open-heart surgery is, what it’s used to treat, what you can expect after, and other frequently asked questions.
Understanding the Heart’s Important Functions
The heart plays an important role* in the human body. This muscle performs four key functions, including:
- The heart pumps oxygenated blood to other body parts.
- The heart pumps hormones and other substances to different parts of the body.
- The heart receives deoxygenated blood and pumps it to the lungs for oxygenation.
- The heart maintains blood pressure.
*For a visual representation of how blood flows through the heart, please refer to Figure 1 at the end of the document.
What is Heart Surgery?
Heart surgery refers to any surgical procedure on the heart muscle, valves, arteries, or the aorta. Heart surgeries are commonly used to treat various cardiovascular diseases, such as:
- Arrhythmias: an irregular heartbeat.
- Congenital heart defects: heart defects found in babies, such as holes or underdeveloped heart structures.
- Coronary artery disease: the narrowing of the arteries due to plaque buildup from excess cholesterol, calcium, and fibrin.
- Heart failure: the heart struggles to pump blood throughout the body.
- Heart valve disease: conditions that prevent the valves from pumping blood through the heart in a single direction.
In the last sixty years, heart surgeries have continued to evolve and advance with technology, reduce patient risk, and improve patient quality of life and care.
How Does Open-Heart Surgery Work?
There are various types of heart surgery procedures, and open-heart surgeries are just one type of method for treating cardiovascular disease. For open-heart surgeries, the surgeon creates an incision into the breastbone and expands the ribcage to access the heart. During the procedure, you are connected to a heart-lung bypass machine or bypass pump during surgery.
While you are connected to a bypass machine, your heart is stopped, but the machine compensates by adding oxygen to your blood, removing carbon dioxide, and moving blood throughout your body.
Types of Open-Heart Surgery Methods
There are different types of open-heart surgery methods, including:
- Heart bypass surgery
- Heart valve surgery
- Heart defect correction
The field of open-heart surgery is ever-evolving. New procedures are being explored, such as smaller, less invasive cuts, or while the heart is still beating.
How Long Does It Take to Recover From Open-Heart Surgery?
Once the procedure is complete, you can expect a full recovery time anywhere between six and twelve weeks, following a four to five day stay in the hospital while your condition is monitored. Usually, the surgeon will recommend that you avoid driving or lifting anything heavy for those first six weeks.
In addition, your healthcare provider may also encourage you to enroll into a cardiac rehabilitation program to improve your recovery time. Should you experience any complications or pain, contact your healthcare provider for additional consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does the “heart-lung-machine” do?
A: Also known as a bypass machine, the heart lung machine diverts blood from the heart, temporarily “bypassing” the heart and performing its function during the procedure. It pumps blood out of the heart through an oxygenating device and pumps it back into the heart through the aorta, the main great artery.
Q: Is open-heart surgery safe?
A: Thanks to the improvement of equipment and technology, open-heart surgeries are routinely successful. While there are inherent risks with any surgical procedure, open-heart surgeries see an impressive 98% success rate and subsequently improve the patient’s quality of life and health.
Q: What is the most common complication that can occur after open-heart surgery?
A: Though infrequent, bleeding is a complication that can occur after open-heart surgery. Following an open-heart surgery, you are kept in the hospital for two to three days so the doctors can monitor your condition and minimize complications.
Q: How do I know if I had open-heart surgery?
A: Open-heart surgeries are characterized by the bypass machine. If you or a loved one had or is going to have a bypass procedure, it is considered a “open-heart surgery.”
If you have additional questions or would like to learn more about open-heart surgery, please visit the Providence website.
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