Bypass Surgery: Purpose, Procedure and Cost in India

Bypass surgery is a surgery to replace the damaged coronary arteries in the heart. In medical terms, it is also known as coronary artery bypass surgery. The surgeon uses blood vessels from another area of the body to repair the damaged arteries. Coronary arteries are very important for the heart as it supplies oxygenated blood to the heart. In case, when they get damaged or blocked the heart stops functioning properly. Blockage of the coronary artery is brought by a waxy substance called plaque which builds inside the arteries of the heart and blocks blood and oxygen from going inside the heart. In severe cases, it may even lead in to a heart failure. Thus, Bypass surgery is a surgical procedure to divert the flow of blood from a blocked or partially blocked coronary artery. It creates a new pathway to the heart, thereby improving the blood flow to the heart muscle.

When a Bypass Surgery is required?
When coronary arteries become weak or blocked, than the condition is called coronary heart disease which requires a Bypass Surgery of the heart. So, the signs of Bypass surgery are mainly judged by the coronary arteries. It treats the symptoms of coronary heart disease. The symptoms of blockage include the following:

• Chest pain also known as angina attack
• Irregular heartbeat
• Shortness of breath
• Sometimes, it may even lead to a heart attack.

Preparation for Bypass Surgery
Preparation is an important step before the surgery in case the surgery is planned and it’s not an emergency condition. A series of pre-operative appointment are to be carried out to abort future complications. Assessment of patient’s health history and family history is a must. Next, couple of tests are performed to check the functioning of the whole body. The tests include blood sample, chest X-ray, ECG, Angiogram etc. Further, in case the patient is consuming any medicines that affects the blood clotting process are stopped like the pain relievers and heart medications. Lifestyle changes like avoiding alcohol, quit smoking, and body hygiene are also recommended. Midnight before the surgery, the patient is not allowed to drink water.

Procedure of Bypass Surgery
Heart Surgery is a long and invasive procedure that may take around 4 to 6 hours. The surgery starts with a dose of general anaesthesia given to the patient. It is given to make the patient sleep and pain free during the surgery. Next, an incision of about 8-10 inches long is made in the chest. The breastbone is separated to see the heart, aorta, and the main blood vessel leading from the heart to the rest of your body. The functioning of the heart is stopped during the surgery and a connection to a heart-lung bypass machine, or bypass pump is made. The machine performs the function of the patient’s heart by adding oxygen to the blood and circulating blood throughout the body. In case off, the off-pump coronary artery bypass, the heart lung machine is not connected.
Next step, is the creation of the bypass graft by using a vein or artery taken from any part of the body and putting it around the blocked area of the artery. In general cases a vein, called the saphenous vein, from the leg is used to make a bypass graft. For this, a surgical cut is made along the inside of the leg, between your ankle and groin. One end of the graft will be sewn to your coronary artery. The other end will be sewn to an opening made in your aorta. The other vein that can be used for making the graft is the internal mammary artery from the chest. In this, one end is connected to aorta and other to the coronary artery.
After the graft has been successfully created around the blocked coronary artery, the breast bone is closed with the help of the wires. The incision made is sewed and the patient is sent to the Intensive care unit.

Bypass Surgery in India
Bypass Surgery in India is no more a risky procedure. In almost all the major cities of India, there are special heart surgeons who carry out successful bypass surgery. The cost of Bypass Surgery in India is 2 to 3 lakhs depending on the doctor and hospital where it is carried out.You can find cost-effective centers for bypass surgery in India.

Bypass Surgery is a common procedure nowadays carried out majorly for people who have crossed the age of 50. The success rate of Bypass Surgery is high due to new medical techniques. All over the world there are so many heart surgeons and heart speciality hospitals that carry out the heart surgery. It no more a risky procedure until the complications are less blockage is not very severe.