Cardiovascular
20 Sep
Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of deaths in the UK; however, in recent years, technology has become more advanced and cardiovascular surgeons are now able to perform amazing operations to repair damage to the heart and vessels and restore functionality.
Heart surgery
Heart disease is very common, especially amongst people over the age of 50; as a result of this, many people require procedures and operations to help restore the function of their heart and clear their blood vessels, so that blood can be pumped around the body easily. More than 30,000 people in the UK have heart surgery every year.
Types of procedure
There are different types of heart surgery, which aim to correct different problems, these include:
Coronary angioplasty: a coronary angioplasty is a procedure, which is used to facilitate blood flow around the body, by widening or unblocking the coronary arteries. During the procedure, a catheter is used to insert a stent into the artery; a stent is a small, hollow metal tube. A balloon is used to open the stent and this pressure causes the stent to widen; this enables blood to flow more freely around the body. A coronary angioplasty may be carried out for people with chronic angina (chest pain) or as an emergency measure after somebody has had a heart attack.
Coronary heart bypass: coronary heart bypass surgery is used to treat people with coronary heart disease; the procedure involves diverting the blood around areas that are narrow or blocked, so that blood can flow around the body more easily. The procedure involves taking a blood vessel from a different part of the body and attaching it to the coronary artery in areas where the artery is narrow or blocked. In most cases, the surgeon will take a number of grafts so that the operation does not have to be repeated in the future.
Heart transplant surgery: heart transplant surgery is a medical innovation; it involves taking the heart from one person and putting it in another person. Heart transplant surgery is a very complex procedure, which is usually only carried out when a person has severe heart disease and will die if they do not get a new heart. Donor hearts are taken from people who have died and agreed to donate their organs. As technology has advanced, other treatments have become available and these can be used to keep the heart going until a donor heart becomes available; one of these treatments, a left ventricular assist device, can be used to support the heart until a suitable donor can be found.
