In recent decades, medical science has gone forward by leaps and bounds. Various treatment methods, both conservative and operational, are also being improved. Modernized methods of conservative treatment can reduce the number of necessary surgical incursions into the human body. As for heart surgery, surgical intervention has always been considered the most complex and time-consuming. Today, during the development and active use of minimally invasive endoscopic methods, this statement is not always true.
Currently, heart surgery has become a very used tactic for the treatment of various pathologies of the cardiovascular system. Basically, surgery is prescribed when a conservative problem cannot be solved, as well as when there is a risk to the health and life of the patient.
Modern cardiac surgery is a whole branch of medicine specializing in the treatment of heart diseases by surgical methods. Most often, heart surgery is performed in the presence of heart disease, as well as coronary heart disease, which is also rapidly progressing.
In recent years, cardiac surgery has undergone a number of significant changes. So, modern scientific knowledge in the field of medicine allows performing operations on a working heart without the use of cardiopulmonary bypasses. In addition, modern minimally invasive methods are widespread, among which the leading role is played by endoscopic heart surgery. During an endoscopic operation, surgical access is minimal, all manipulations on the organ are performed using a special apparatus - an endoscope. The surgeon performs the operation, observing it on the monitor screen.
As noted above, heart surgery is indicated when normalization of the patient’s condition without surgery is not possible, as well as in the case of active progression of the disease, which creates a risk to the patient’s life.
Among the most common heart surgeries is the treatment of coronary heart disease. Since one of the leading causes of coronary artery disease is coronary atherosclerosis, aortocoronary bypass surgery is performed to normalize vascular patency.
How is heart surgery done ? Coronary artery bypass grafting is an operation to replace impassable sclerosed vessels with normal vessels of the patient himself, taken mainly from the extremities. Segments of veins and arteries are sutured to the coronary vessels, thus creating a detour for blood flow (collateral). As a result of this operation, myocardial ischemia is eliminated and normal blood flow in the heart muscle is restored.
In addition to shunting, balloon angioplasty is currently being actively used. The technique of this method consists in introducing a tube with a balloon at the end into a sclerotized vessel, which, when filled with air under pressure, crushes a plaque in the lumen of the artery. Then, a stent (a special spring resting against the walls) is installed in the artery, which prevents the artery from falling and narrowing its lumen.
As for heart defects, most of them do not require surgical intervention. However, there is a certain group of congenital heart defects that are incompatible with life. In such cases, immediate heart surgery is needed.
Sometimes in severe cases, they resort to a heart transplant. Statistics indicate that the life expectancy of patients after a heart transplant is on average about five years.
Thus, heart surgery is a fairly common method of treating pathologies of the cardiovascular system.