Heart Bypass Surgery Treats Blocked Arteries

Coronary_heart_diseaseHeart disease is a major killer of people in the US, and according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is what kills one in four people in the US every year. It also costs the US more than 100 billion dollars in health care, medicine and lost time from work.

Heart disease can occur due to many reasons. Some of these are due to blood vessel problems such as atherosclerosis, when a substance called plaque forms in the blood vessels it can clog them up. Since these vessels are what carry nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, when they are clogged, your body will be starved of those vital components. This problem is often due to a poor diet, being obese, smoking or not exercising. All of these can lead to someone having heart disease and possibly needing heart surgery to repair their heart.

Coronary Artery Problems

In cases where a person’s heart disease is caused by blocked coronary arteries, they have coronary artery disease. A cardiologist may need to create a new pathway for the victim’s heart through heart bypass surgery. This means that a special type of surgeon who studied in cardiology will redirect the blood flow of the heart areas that are restricted and may have to put a graft into the heart to restore good blood flow.

If the proper blood flow isn’t restored to the heart, the person could end up having congestive heart failure, which means they could have a heart attack and possibly die. So, DSC06088the heart bypass operation, which is actually very common in the US, is done to prevent this possibility. The graft for the heart sometimes is taken from a blood vessel in the victim’s legs or arms or even their chest. It all depends on how bad the heart is clogged and how much of the existing blood vessels are blocked or ruined.

What is Done Prior to Heart Bypass Surgery?

Before someone undergoes heart bypass surgery it is likely the doctor will check out the heart using tests like an echocardiogram to check the heart, plus any needed blood tests or other tests. They must also make sure that the body is strong enough to withstand the rigors of heart surgery.

You may also be asked to change your diet so that your health will improve either before or after the surgery. This alternative therapy will help to get your arteries unclogged through eating a nutritious and healthy diet and limiting things like too much fat, which can cause a rise in ‘bad’ cholesterol. This contributes to the build up of plague in your arteries and causes heart disease and cardiomyopathy, which is another word for heart attack. If you find out you have an enlarged heart, this shows that your heart has been working too hard and the tissues have stretched out in an attempt to be able to pump all of the required blood throughout your body.

Heart disease is not something you want to have and in some cases it can be very hard to treat. However, if you end up having to get heart bypass surgery, this operation can help to save your life.

Contact Dr. Jorge Bordenave at Miami Integrative Medicine and set up a health care consultation. He can discuss with you ways to improve your heart health and general wellbeing using natural methods whenever possible.

 

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