Cardiac

Bypass surgery is usually indicated when the blood flow to heart is impeded or obstructed due to certain pathologies. Heart needs a constant supply of blood as it has the principal function in the body of supplying blood to all the organs. The main arteries that supply blood to heart, coronary arteries, get blocked due to many reasons. The chief reason is the development of atherosclerosis. In this condition, fat deposits in the arteries result in the formation of plaques. This and the ensuing inflammation narrow down the arteries resulting in impeded blood flow to the heart. The other reasons that usually necessitate a bypass surgery are : 

• left main coronary disease
• triple-vessel disease with normal or diminished ejection fraction
• two-vessel disease with involvement of the proximal left-sided anterior descending coronary artery with normal or diminished ejection fraction
• unstable (crescendo) angina
• post-myocardial infarction angina
• life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias with greater than 50% left main disease or triple-vessel disease
• acute coronary occlusion after percutaneous coronary intervention
• persistent symptoms despite maximal medical therapy 
• coronary artery and the need for heart surgery for other indications
• mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction
• ventricular septal defect
• acute mitral regurgitation
• free wall rupture
• cardiogenic shock

Usually antibiotics are prescribed for the prevention of infections. Sometimes infection may occur at the site from where the vein or artery is harvested. These are usually managed by the use of antibiotics and other medications suggested by doctors of cardiac diseases treatment in India.

The patient usually have to be in the ICU for 18-24 hours and if everything is normal, gets discharged in a week.

The heart contains 4 valves that ensure unidirectional flow of blood. Out of these, the aortic valve is subjected to maximum pressure as it has to pump blood against a strong resistance of the blood flow in aorta. Thus this is the valve that is the most vulnerable to damage and often the valve that presents with pathological complications.

Aortic valve is the most vulnerable valve as it has to pump blood against the strong resistance of the blood flow in aorta. India is home to some of the best cardiac hospitals and cardiac surgeons where Aortic valve surgeries are routinely done. The benefit of getting cardiac disease treatment in India is that the treatments are done at a fraction of cost than the advanced western countries with the same kind of quality and professionalism.

The heart is divided into the right and the left heart by a septum. This prevents the mixing of deoxygenated and oxygenated blood. When there is a hole in this septum, it is referred to as hole in the heart. If the hole is in the upper part of the septum, it is called Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and if it is in the lower part of the septum, it is called Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). ASD usually closes in the first after birth. If not it might require medical attention. The usual procedures are catheterization or surgery to close the hole. VSD is usually easy to control if it doesn’t show any symptoms. If medical attention is needed, attention is given to the nutrition of the child and if the hole doesn’t close by itself, open heart surgery is needed to close it. 

The tests usually start with the most basic but quite significant which includes the physical examination of the patient and using methods like auscultation to hear the heart sounds. Any abnormality can be further evaluated. The other diagnostic tests for evaluating heart diseases in India include:

• Electrocardiography (ECG): It measures the electrical activity of the heart by placing electrodes on the chest surface. Any abnormality in the ECG can suggest presence of diseases. The cardiologists are experts in diagnosing particular diseases based on the deviation of the normal waves. 
• Stress tolerance test: ECG is usually followed by stress testing where the patient is made to run on the treadmill and then the ECG is done. 
• Cardiac imaging using radioisotopes to detect ischemic myocardium and measure ventricular function
• Echocardiography
• Cardiac catheterization and coronary arteriography are used to determine coronary artery anatomy and if the patient would benefit from 
• Angioplasty
• Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery
• Other revascularization procedures
• Coronary artery calcium may be useful in detecting early disease

Heart transplant is done in patients where all other options of medical interventions including medications and surgeries are exhausted and still the heart is not able to function properly. It is a complex surgery and should be kept as the last resort.

The success rate of heart transplant in India is more than 85%. However, extreme caution needs to be exercised post-surgery. Regular follow ups, checkups and necessary precautions are mandatory after the surgery to recover fast without any complications.

India is home to some of the best cardiac hospitals and cardiac surgeons. These experts have a vast amount of experience in their respective fields. Highly advanced techniques and instruments are used for the surgery. The same quality and care as in western countries is given in India and the same amount of professionalism is exercised.

Pacemaker is an electronic device which is placed under chest and helps to restore the normal electrical activity of the heart. It is usually used to treat severe arrhythmias which are not controlled by medications. The different types of pacemakers used in India are single chamber pacemaker, double chamber pacemaker and biventricular pacemaker.

Arrhythmias can be successfully managed by the use of medications or placing pacemakers that control the electrical activity of the heart. There are highly experienced cardiologists that excel in the treatment of arrhythmias and can manage them efficiently. 

Usually the pacemaker lasts for 4-8 years. Biventricular pacemakers usually last shorter than the other pacemakers. The life of the pacemakers also depend on the dependency of the patient on the pacemaker.