Heart Bypass Surgery Cost in India

Symptoms of a Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
 

Coronary Artery Disease is usually caused by condition called atherosclerosis i.e. when a fatty substance called plaque builds-up on the walls of arteries and blocks the blood and oxygen from reaching to heart. 

The common indications are: 

• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness, dizziness
• Nausea
• Palpitations
• Indigestion
   

Causes of Coronary artery blockage 

The primary causes of the coronary artery blockage are: 

• Smoking 
• Sedentary lifestyle
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes 
• Insulin resistance
• High cholesterol
   

Medical test before Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)
 

Electrocardiogram (ECG) 

ECG test records the heart activity and it often reveals the previous heart attack or the one that is likely to happen. Inadequate blood flow to the heart indicates abnormalities.
 

Stress test

If the patient notices symptoms more often during a physical workout then the doctor might take ECG while riding a stationary bike.
 

Echocardiography

The test uses sound waves to produce images of the heart. If a part of the heart is not working properly or indicates weakness that may indicate coronary artery disease or any other heart-related disease.
 

Heart scan

Computerized Tomography (CT) is performed to detect the amount of calcium deposited in the arteries that can narrow the vessel and therefore likely to cause coronary artery disease.

Procedure of Heart bypass
 

On Pump Heart Bypass (Standard procedure) 
 

• The patient is kept on a ventilator during the surgery.
• The surgeon makes a long incision in the chest and the rib cages are spread to expose the heart while a heart-lung machine keeps blood and oxygen flowing through the body. The heart is stopped temporarily and the heart-lung machine does its work. 
• The surgeon removes a healthy blood vessel from the leg to bypass the blocked artery of the heart. One end of the removed vessel (called graft) is attached above the blockage and the other end below. This helps redirect blood around the blocked artery.
• The heart-lung machine is disconnected and stitches are placed to close the incision in the chest.
   

Off-Pump Heart Bypass 

• The procedure remains the same however it is done without the use of a heart-lung machine. A special machine is used instead to stabilize the heart.
   

Minimally invasive surgery

• The surgery is done by making small incisions in the chest, with the use of robotics and video imaging. This surgery is also called port-access surgery.
   

The surgeons can attach more than one blood vessel in a single operation. A double bypass involves two, a triple bypass that involves three, and a quadruple bypass that involves four grafts. The quintuple bypass, open-heart surgery is the most complicated heart bypass surgery and includes all five of the major arteries of the heart. 

After the Surgery 

The patient may have to spend a few days in ICU and the patient is advised diet, medication and exercise routine. The recovery time may vary from 6 to 12 weeks and after surgery, most patients lead a normal life for as long as 15 years or even more.