Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is a high-technology treatment of the coronary artery disease (CAD). The technique is applied when it is not possible anymore to restore the patency of the coronary arteries by drugs intake or even angioplasty. The bypass surgery creates an additional pathway for the blood, thereby it reaches the heart via the new vessels. Creating the vascular grafts and their proper placement requires special skills from the surgeon and may be performed only in the specialized hospitals.
When the procedure will be the most beneficial
Although the bypass surgery on the coronary vessels is the only etiotropic CAD treatment option, this is not the first-line therapy. Cardiac surgery poses certain risks, that is why doctors typically start from the less invasive measures – drug treatment and lifestyle modification.
Patients are eligible for the coronary bypass surgery in the following cases:
- Patients with blocked left main coronary artery. This artery supplies the left ventricle, which is responsible for pumping blood through the whole body.
- Patients with three or more blocked blood vessels. In this case drugs will have poor effect and the stenting will be too invasive.
- Patients with thrombosis or stenosis in places of arterial branching. Such location is not suitable for the stent placing.
- Patients with diabetes mellitus who are predisposed to vascular pathologies and myocardial infarction development.
In each case, the diagnosis is made after the careful examination, including blood tests, ECG, EchoCG, and angiogram.
How the coronary bypass surgery is performed
CABG surgery is an inpatient procedure. Prior to the surgery you will need to tell your surgeon and anesthesiologist about all the medications you take regularly and possible allergic reactions. Also, you may need to repeat certain examinations, like blood tests or ECG.
The procedure is performed under the general anesthesia. You will be sleeping during all the intervention and won’t feel any pain. The surgeon creates a surgical access – makes an incision in the sternum and opens the chest. The heart and nearby vessels become perfectly seen and can be manipulated on.
The previously harvested and processes vascular graft (this may be a part of the internal thoracic artery, the radial artery or the saphenous vein) is implanted in order to replace function of the blocked arteries. In some cases your heart will be temporary stopped during the procedure and you will be connected to the heart-lung machine. In other cases the “off-pump” or “beating heart” intervention may be performed. Ones the integrity of the vascular system is restored, the chest is closed and you will be transferred to the ICU for the thorough follow-up.
CABG surgery is typically followed by cardiological rehabilitation and symptomatic drug therapy. This helps to improve exercise tolerance and quality of life. Secondary disease prevention is another important aim of the postoperative period.
Where it is better to undergo the coronary bypass surgery
When choosing the healthcare institution, it is better to investigate carefully information about the equipment of the hospital, number of such procedures per year and their success rates, qualification of surgeons, etc. Usually, when it comes to the joint world’s statistics, the best results are demonstrated by the specialized European hospitals. This may be the large hospital like University Hospital RWTH Aachen or the profile clinic like HELIOS Heart Surgery Clinic Karlsruhe.
If you prefer to receive medical treatment abroad, in the world’s leading heart surgery institutions, it is better to use services of Booking Health. Booking Health is a medical tourism provider whose competence in arranging treatment of foreign patients is confirmed by the certificate ISO 9001:2015.
Specialists of Booking Health assist in choosing the hospital and cardiac surgeon, booking the appointment or hospitalization date, elaborating the preliminary treatment program and assessing its price, receiving the invitation for treatment and issuing visa, arranging flight and accommodation, finding the interpreter. In addition, you will receive medical services for attractive prices, as the additional fees for the foreigners will be excluded. Should you leave the request with medical information on the Booking Health website, an medical advisor will contact you the same day and guide through the following stages.
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