What Are The Risks Or Complications Of This Procedure
CABG is a major surgery, which means there are some potential risks and complications. While most of these risks and complications are avoidable or treatable, its still important to understand them. Possible risks include:
- Irregular heart rhythms . The most common arrhythmia after CABG is atrial fibrillation, which causes an increased risk of stroke. Fortunately, its usually only a temporary concern.
- Bleeding. This is a risk with any major surgery. To avoid this, people who take blood thinners will need to stop taking them before the surgery.
- Infections. Another possible complication of surgery is infection. When infections spread throughout your body, they can cause , a life-threatening overreaction of your immune system. Sepsis is a medical emergency, and having two or more of its symptoms should be considered as dangerous as a heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, major infections after CABG are rare thanks to improved surgical care and techniques.
- Confusion or delirium. These cause symptoms like agitation, trouble thinking clearly, memory problems or someone behaving unusually .
- Kidney problems.
How Long Is A Person Expected To Live After A Bypass Operation
Dr. Thoralf Sundt answers the question: ‘Life Expectancy After Bypass Surgery?’
& #151 — Question: How long is a person expected to live after a bypass operation?
Answer: The life expectancy after coronary bypass surgery depends again on the individual’s risk factors. And most importantly on the ventricular function, how well the muscle of the heart works. If the muscle in the heart works well, the life expectancy can be approximately what the normal population is who’ve never a heart attack. On the other hand, people with advanced left ventricular dysfunction — that means, who’ve had significant damage to the main pumping chamber of the heart — their life expectancy is more limited.
The Different Types Of Bypass Artery Vs Vein
When asking, how long does heart bypass surgery last? Its very important to understand the different types of bypass grafts used. The most important one is called the LIMA and is an artery that runs on the inside of the chest wall on the left side of the body. This artery is carefully taken down from the chest wall and almost always attached to the main artery that runs down the front of the heart called the LAD .
The other type of bypass graft we will talk about is called an SVG that is taken from the leg and is a vein used as a bypass. Although there are other types of artery bypasses , for the purposes of this article I will concentrate on the LIMA and the SVG, as they are by far the most commonly used in the US.
Recommended Reading: What Are Symptoms Of Heart Failure
What Is This Procedure
Coronary artery bypass grafting is a surgery that restores blood flow to areas of your heart that arent getting enough blood. This surgery can improve your heart function and how you feel, especially when youve just had a heart attack or theres an increased risk for you to have one in the near future.
Why Is Coronary Bypass Surgery Done
Your heart works 24/7, supplying your entire body with blood. To do its job, your heart also needs blood flow, which it gets through a network of supply arteries that wrap around it. When tissues in your body arent getting enough blood flow, this causes a problem called ischemia .
The muscle cells in your heart are especially sensitive to ischemia, and when it’s severe, those heart muscle cells will start to die. Coronary artery bypass grafting treats ischemia by restoring blood flow to the affected heart muscle.
Recommended Reading: Where Do You Feel Heart Palpitations
How Long Will I Have To Wait For Surgery
The length of time you’ll have to wait to have a coronary artery bypass graft will vary from area to area.
Your GP or cardiac surgeon should be able to tell you what the waiting lists are like in your area or at the hospital you have chosen.
Ideally, you should be treated within 3 months of the decision to operate.
For Severe Heart Disease Bypass Surgery Slightly Better Than Stenting With Caveats Study Finds
Among heart-disease patients in a study who received stents, the incidence of a major complication death, heart attack, stroke or the need for a repeat procedure was 10.6% after a year. Among bypass patients, the rate was 6.9%.
William Fearon
Patients with severe coronary artery disease generally fared better with bypass surgery than with stents to open blocked arteries, according to a major new multinational study led by Stanford Medicine investigators.
However, some patients benefited more from stents, particularly if their disease wasnt complex, the researchers found.
The good news for patients is that both groups did better than what was found in previous studies, and the differences between the two strategies has lessened, said William Fearon, MD, professor of cardiovascular medicine and principal investigator of the trial. He said the trial, the largest of its kind, will serve as a guide for determining which approach is best for individual patients.
I think it will have an immediate impact on how patients and physicians choose treatment, said Fearon, who is also the director of interventional cardiology at Stanford.
A paper describing the study, called the FAME 3 trial, was published online Nov. 4 in The New England Journal of Medicine. Fearon shares lead authorship on the paper with Frederick Zimmermann, MD, of Catharina Hospital in the Netherlands. Nico Pijls, MD, PhD, of Catharina Hospital, was the papers senior author.
Read Also: How Do Heart Rate Monitors Work
What Is The Recovery Time
Most people who have CABG will need several weeks to fully recover from this procedure. During that time, your provider will likely have you avoiding any strenuous activities or situations that might put too much stress on your heart and incisions.
Your healthcare provider is the best person to tell you how long it will probably take you to recover and what you should expect. Theyll also tell you when you can start resuming your regular activities like work, exercising, driving, etc.
What Are The Alternatives To Bypass Surgery
There are a few less-invasive procedures your doctor could try instead of bypass surgery.
Angioplasty. A surgeon threads a deflated balloon attached to a special tube up to your coronary arteries. Once it’s there, they inflate the balloon to widen your blocked areas. Most times, it happens in combination with the installation of something called a stent, a wire mesh tube that props your artery open.
There’s also a version of angioplasty that, instead of a balloon, uses a laser to eliminate the plaque that clogs your arteries.
Minimally invasive heart surgery. A surgeon makes small incisions in your chest. Then, they attach veins from your leg or arteries from your chest to your heart, much like a traditional bypass surgery. In this case, though, your surgeon will put the instruments through the small incisions and use a video monitor as a guide to do the work. Unlike bypass surgery, your heart is still beating during this procedure.
Show Sources
You May Like: What Blood Tests Detect Heart Problems
The Life Expectancy Of Elderly People After Coronary Bypass Surgery Is Receiving Increasing Attention Since The Population Of Advanced Age People Is Ever
This means more and more elderly people, including octogenarians, are having coronary bypass surgery .
Life expectancy after CABG is difficult to determine because so many factors are involved, says Dr. Michael Fiocco, Chief of Open Heart Surgery at Union Memorial Hospital, one of the nations top 50 heart hospitals.
And this applies to the elderly population.
Mortality within 30 days of CABG is less than 2 percent, and that is including some very sick patients undergoing CABG, says Dr. Fiocco.
When an elderly person has coronary bypass surgery, other factors still remain an important part of the life-expectancy equation:
In other words, the CABG and post-op may have gone without a hitch, but an elderly individual inherently is at risk for other serious conditions such as cancer, Alzheimers disease and dying in a car accident that otherwise would result in only moderate injuries for someone much younger.
Thus, the question of What is the life expectancy for the very old patient after coronary bypass surgery almost doesnt seem to make a lot of sense.
Again, this is about life expectancy, rather than a more immediate survival rate.
Once the elderly patient is out of the woods in terms of possible post-op complications , the life expectancy is extremely variable.
But of course, its within the confines of how much longer any 80-year-old is expected to live.
For elective coronary bypass surgery , the mortality rate falls below 1 percent 30 days post-op.
Who Will Help Perform The Bypass Surgery
Throughout the surgery, several types of specialists ensure the procedure is performed properly. A perfusion technologist works with the cardiopulmonary bypass machine.
A cardiovascular surgeon performs the procedure and an anesthesiologist ensures anesthesia is delivered to your body properly to keep you unconscious during the procedure.
Imaging specialists may also be present to take X-rays or help ensure that the team can view the site of the surgery and the tissues around it.
When you wake up from heart bypass surgery, youll have a tube in your mouth. You may also feel pain or have side effects from the procedure, including:
- pain at the incision site
- pain with deep breaths
- pain with coughing
Youll likely be in the ICU for one to two days so your vital signs can be monitored. Once youre stable, youll be moved to another room. Be prepared to stay in the hospital for several days.
Before you leave the hospital, your medical team will give you instructions on how to care for yourself, including:
- caring for your incision wounds
- getting plenty of rest
- refraining from heavy lifting
Even without complications, recovery from heart bypass surgery can take 6 to 12 weeks. Thats the least amount of time it takes for your breastbone to heal.
During this time, you should avoid heavy exertion. Follow your doctors orders regarding physical activity. Also, you shouldnt drive until you get approval from your doctor.
- fever over 100.4°F
- increasing pain in your chest
- rapid heart rate
Also Check: High Heart Rate When Running
How Long Does Heart Bypass Surgery Last Dont Lose Sight Of The Main Issue
Remember that the bypass was done to treat coronary artery disease, but thats only half the battle. The same disease process still goes on despite the bypass and so the emphasis in these patients should be on treatments that can act to stabilize the heart disease. These treatments include medications, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, avoiding smoke, exercise, diet, and adoption of a healthy lifestyle. Now these are the truly life-saving measures.
The Lima The King Of The Heart Bypass Surgery Grafts
We call it the LIMA graft and its the gold standard of bypass grafts and almost always attached to main artery that runs down the front of the heart called the LAD . This is by a mile the most important graft, and in fact many people can simply live off the blood supply they get from this graft. The LIMA graft has superior biological properties to other grafts such as vein grafts and therefore has an excellent chance of staying open.
Now we can start to answer the question how long does heart bypass surgery last? Studies have shown thatthe LIMA graft is around 95-99% likely to be open and working at 1 month after operation, 90-95% likely to be open at 1 year 5 years, and around 80-90% likely to be open at > 10 years. These studies show that the LIMA graft has excellent not only short, but long term results. Unfortunately there is only 1 LIMA graft but often patients have many blockages requiring bypass so we have to use veins or other arteries.
Don’t Miss: How Many Beats Per Minute Should Your Heart Rate Be
So How Long Does Heart Bypass Surgery Last
Lets summarize the article so far. If a patient has a LIMA bypass, it is almost 90% likely to remain open, even 10 years after the operation, and that is just great. For the other blockages where an SVG graft is used, the bypasses are about 50% likely to remain open at 10 years. If grafts go down its not necessarily a disaster, there are often good treatment options.
What To Expect On The Day Of Surgery
General anesthesia is started right before the surgical procedure. Then the cardiothoracic surgeon starts harvesting veins from the legs or arms. These vessels are used for bypass grafts.
The surgical team will confirm that the vessels are healthy enough to be used to bypass the diseased coronary arteries. Meanwhile, the surgeon opens the chest and begins preparing the heart. They may also remove another vessel from the left chest, to supplement the other veins already harvested.
During the vast majority of quadruple bypass surgeries, the heart is stopped to prevent motion. A heart-lung bypass machine is used to allow both the heart and lungs to be still.
This helps the surgical team complete the graft portion of the surgery safely and quickly. The machine supplies oxygen to the blood instead of the lungs doing so. It pumps the oxygenated blood through the body as the heart would normally do.
During surgery, the blood vessels are attached to the existing heart vessel, around the areas of blockage. It’s similar to a quick detour you might take to avoid traffic, with the blood literally rerouted around the blocked portion of the cardiac artery.
Read Also: Heart Rate Over 100 When Sick
What Are The Advantages Of This Procedure
CABG has several advantages that make it a useful and common part of treating heart problems.
- A long history of use. Surgeons performed the first CABG procedures in the early 1960s. In the decades that followed, additional studies and advancements helped make this procedure a key and reliable technique for treating ischemia of the heart.
- Better for multiple blockages or blockages in certain arteries. CABG is often the best choice when a person has multiple blocked arteries in their heart. Its also a superior procedure for blockages in certain places. Many studies have linked CABG with improved long-term outcomes, including better survival odds. This advantage often grows when used alongside advanced bypass techniques with durable results.
- Lower risk for follow-up procedures. The main alternative to CABG is percutaneous coronary intervention , often known as angioplasty. In many cases, PCI has a higher risk of needing a follow-up procedure.
Why Do I Need Heart Bypass Surgery
Bypass surgery treats symptoms of coronary artery disease. That happens when a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the arteries in your heart and blocks blood and oxygen from reaching it.
Your doctor may suggest heart bypass surgery if:
- You have severe chest pain that your doctor thinks happens because several of the arteries that supply blood to your heart are blocked.
- At least one of your coronary arteries has disease that’s causing your left ventricle — the chamber that does most of your heart’s blood pumping — to not work as well as it should.
- There’s a blockage in your left main coronary artery, which gives your left ventricle most of its blood.
- You’ve had other procedures, and either they haven’t worked or your artery is narrow again.
- You have new blockages.
Coronary artery disease can lead to a heart attack. It can cause a blood clot to form and cut off blood flow. Bypass surgery can give your ticker a big health boost.
Read Also: What Should Heart Rate Be When Sleeping
Considering Complexity Of Heart Disease
The researchers looked at results based on the patients underlying coronary disease. They found that patients with less complex coronary artery disease did better with stents, as physicians could limit the number of the mesh tubes they had to place.
I think the study results will guide both physicians and patients on the best strategy for their circumstances, Fearon said. If patients have very complex disease that would require numerous stents, then bypass might be a better option. If they have less complex disease, they can feel reassured that by receiving the latest generation of drug-eluting stents guided by FFR, their outcomes would be just as good as they would be with surgery.
He said stents also have an advantage in that they entail shorter hospital stays and faster recoveries. Patients who receive stents generally go home the same day and recover quickly. Bypass patients, on the other hand, may remain in the hospital for as many as five days or longer, with a recovery time of six to eight weeks. In the study, bypass patients also had a higher incidence of major bleeding, arrythmia, acute kidney injury and rehospitalization within 30 days.
The FAME 3 trial was initiated by Fearon and two of the other investigators and was sponsored by Stanford Medicine. Medtronic Inc. and Abbott Vascular Inc. provided research grants for the study but were not involved in its design or implementation.
- Ruthann Richter Ruthann Richter is a freelance writer.
Survival Rate Of Heart Valve Replacement Surgery
The survival rate for a heart valve replacement surgery depends on which valve is involved. This was analyzed in a large study in which the lifespan of a large population, who went ahead with the surgery, is observed for a specific timeframe.
The 5-year survival rate means what percentage of people lived for at least 5 years after the surgery. Similarly, the 10-year survival rate means what percentage of people lived for at least 10 years after the surgery.
For example, the 5-year survival rates for aortic valve replacement surgery is 94%. This means 94 out of 100 people who underwent AVR surgery could live at least 5 years.
Table 1: The Survival Rates as Per the Type of Valve in Heart Valve Replacement Surgeries
Survival rates for heart valve replacement surgery are often used as predictors of how long patients can live beyond a certain number of years after the surgery. However, these may vary for you depending on your age, your overall health, and the current status of your heart function. Discuss with your doctor about these factors to know about your life expectancy after the surgery.
Don’t Miss: Does Tylenol Increase Heart Rate