Cardiovascular (heart) disease is the most common cause of death in both men and women. This disease includes high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, atherosclerosis (hardening of the artery walls) and coronary artery disease (CAD). When medications and cardiac procedures cannot treat the damage, life-saving surgery may be required.
Bypass Surgery
Bypass surgery is also called coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, and is used to treat CAD and reduce the risk of a heart attack. This cardiac surgery is usually recommended for individuals who have two to three blockages in the coronary arteries or patients who have not responded well to other treatments and procedures. Bypass surgery may involve two or more coronary arteries. The blockages in the coronary arteries are bypassed using grafts made from other blood vessels in the body.
Valve Surgery
Heart valves are important because they guide the flow of blood through the heart in only one direction and prevent back-flow. In healthy heart valves, the pressure changes in the heart allow them to open their cusps (flap-like doors) and then close them tightly as needed. Valve problems that require cardiac surgery include stenosis, in which the cusps of the valves become thickened, stiff or fused together and cannot open wide enough to allow adequate blood flow. Cardiac surgery is needed to repair the valve or replace it with new synthetic (artificial) or biological ones. Regurgitation occurs when a heart valve does not close properly and blood backflows or leaks instead of moving forward. Surgery is able to tighten or replace the valve.
Aneurysm Surgery
An aneurysm is a bulge or ballooning in the wall of the heart or a blood vessel. This occurs when the wall of the heart or blood vessel becomes weakened and pressures from blood flow causes it to widen and bulge. Cardiac surgery may be needed to repair the aneurysm before it bursts. Surgery involves patching the weakened area in the heart or blood vessel with a patch or graft. According to the American Heart Association, aneurysms most often occur in the left ventricle (lower-left chamber) of the heart and can lead to irregular heartbeat and heart failure.
Heart Transplant
A heart transplant may be needed if there is severe damage to heart muscle that cannot be repaired or treated. This may be due to severe CAD or cardiomyopathy, in which heart muscle is damaged due to unknown causes. These diseases can progressively damage and weaken the heart making it unable to pump oxygen-rich blood to the body effectively. The heart may become enlarged as it tries to work harder and can simply wear out.
