Who Qualifies for Heart Bypass Surgery? 4 Key Criteria
Not every heart problem needs a bypass. Learn the heart bypass surgery criteria doctors weigh, from severe coronary disease to a stent that did not hold.
Not every heart problem can be fixed with a bypass. Your doctor will first weigh whether you really need one, and a decision usually comes only after a full examination. Here are the considerations and criteria for heart bypass surgery patients.
Considerations and Criteria for Heart Bypass Patients
- Severe Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease is among the most common heart complaints. It no longer affects only older people, and it now strikes younger age groups as well. The cause is an unhealthy lifestyle. Eating junk food and skipping exercise are among the triggers.
It is a pity when the heart is in trouble while you are still in your productive years. Clearing a blocked blood vessel requires a procedure called a bypass. Even so, the patients who receive this treatment are those whose blockage is already severe, because the operation carries considerable risk.
Read also: How Heart Failure Develops
- More Than One Problem Coronary Artery
A troubled coronary artery disrupts the work of the heart, and blood cannot circulate properly. This is even more serious when the blockage affects more than one artery. The patient is then in an emergency and needs help right away. That is why doctors turn to heart bypass surgery to save them.
Although a bypass carries some risk, it is chosen because it can restore blood flow at once. Medication alone would certainly help, but the patient's condition is already very poor by then. Even though the operation has to happen quickly, that does not mean it can skip the various examinations beforehand.
- Disrupted Blood Flow in the Left Ventricle
The left ventricle is the part of the heart that pumps blood to the rest of the body, so it is vital. If blood flow there is disrupted, the oxygen supply to the whole body drops and is held back.
Doctors will consider a bypass when the left ventricle is not working properly and the left main coronary artery is not working either. Bypass surgery is the only way to repair both problems optimally. Even so, the doctor will look at many other factors to keep the risks of the operation as low as possible.
- A Previous Stent Placement
Heart bypass surgery is performed when the patient has already had a stent (known in Indonesia as a heart ring) placed without success. Placing a stent is a good way to improve blood circulation. In some patients, though, the artery narrows again. That is when the doctor turns to a bypass.
So far, every procedure for supporting heart health has been well developed. There is no denying that the heart is the most important part of the body, so specialists focus on treating heart damage as effectively as possible. Even so, you still need to keep up a healthy lifestyle.
Read also: Understanding Structural Heart Disease
