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The mere mention of heart surgeries is daunting. But, have you ever wondered how many types of heart surgery there are available? Not quite, right?
With the advancement of medical science and technology, even heart surgery is becoming very mainstream and accessible. Given the complexities that this organ brings along, it is not at all surprising that the opted procedures for fixing any issue of the heart do take precision and expertise.
By the end of this article, you will have an overall better knowledge about the differing types of heart surgeries that are now accessible medically.
List of Types of Heart Surgery
While there are a plethora of heart diseases that affects humans all across, it is not really surprising that the methods of treatments are quite extensive as well.
There are a number of types of heart surgeries that you definitely need to keep track of. Some of them have been listen out for you.
1. Angioplasty
Angioplasty is a predominant type of heart surgery which is conducted to help get rid of blocked and obstructed blood vessels. It is also often known as Percutaneous Coronary Interventions [PCI].
In this type of heart surgery, special tubing is attached with a deflated balloon which is then inserted into the coronary arteries. The deflated balloon is then inflated to widen the area for the blood flow in the arteries.
The process is often accompanied with the implantation of a stent which further avoids the arteries to again return back to the narrow state.
This is not one of the types of open heart surgery because the body is not cut open and is often categorized under the minimally invasive processes.
It helps in boosting the normal blood flow and is effective in reducing any symptoms of chest pain that could be hampering the well being of an individual.
2. Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization (TMR)
If you have been experiencing Angina or chest pain consistently, chances are that the process of Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization is possibly the very last option at hand.
It has been found to be effective in handling the conditions associated with angina. In this specific process, a small incision is made in the chest of the patient to expose a sliver of the heart muscle.
Following that, a high energy laser is used in the process to make a 1mm wide channel inside the heart. Once done, it is ensured that the outer areas of the channels are closed while the inner ones are kept open.
There are ongoing studies conducted for this to find how and why this works exactly but the evidences till date have found that it helps in the development of new blood vessels which further help relieve the condition of angina.
3. Arrhythmia surgery
Arrhythmia is nothing but the irregular beating of the heartbeat.
If you have been suffering from this specific condition, chances are that you need to get the problem fixed with surgery. Often times, some of the primary reasons behind the same are because of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia etc.
The arrhythmia surgeries can be of varying types, depending on the severity of the condition. Often times, these kinds of surgeries are paired with other heart related surgery like the repair of a heart valve or something similar.
One of the most common types of open heart surgeries that many opt for is for arterial fibrillation. The maze surgery, as it is called, is one of the best options to get rid of the problem altogether. In this process, the surgeon makes small cuts or even burns on the atria which henceforth prevent any kind of altered electrical signals from transmitting around.
Another one to fix the problem is the coronary artery bypass grafting which is mainly to treat the arrhythmia caused because of the coronary artery disease.
4. Atherectomy
Atherectomy is yet another one of the types of heart surgery, much like that of angioplasty but the process is a bit different than the prior.
The only difference with this is the fact that the catheter used in this does have a rotating shaver on its top which comes in handy for cutting away the plaque from the artery to preventing the obstruction in them.
Apart from preventing blockage in the main arteries, this is one of the most common heart surgeries used for plaque removal from within the arteries. This is beneficial in keeping the risks of stroke to a bare minimum.
5. Bypass Surgery
When it comes down to explaining the most commonly opted for types of open heart surgery, the Bypass surgery definitely stands out of them all.
It is also often termed as Coronary Artery Bypass Graft and is one of the most common types of surgeries to rectify any kind of altered arteries in the body.
This is one of those types of open heart surgeries in which the surgeons treat the blocked arteries in the heart by the process of grafting. This helps reroute the process of blood flow away from the clogged arteries into the healthy ones effectively.
The process is often conducted in multiple installments depending on the kind of severity of the clogged arteries.
6. Cardiomyoplasty
Cardiomyoplasty is yet another one of the different types of heart surgeries. This is mainly used for patients who suffer from a feeble and weak heartbeat.
In this procedure, the surgeon performs an experimental procedure to take skeletal muscles from the back or the abdomen of the patient which is then wrapped around the heart muscles.
The additional support from the muscle with the ongoing stimulation from the pacemaker helps in boosting the pumping of the heart altogether.
The procedure is mainly conducted to increase the pumping motion of the heart effectively.
7. Heart transplant
Heart transplantation is possibly the most complex types of open-heart surgery. This is often the last resort for a patient if something else fails to get the heart working back in function.
The process is predominantly done to remove and replace a diseased heart with a healthy one. The process is mainly done through successful organ donation.
It requires very skilled and experienced surgeons for them to conduct the surgery without ending up causing any kind of negative impacts on the health of the person in surgery.
The types of heart surgery are abundant. These are just a glimpse at an overview of some of the most popular ones that you often hear or know of. If you are feeling any kind of discomfort in your chest, accompanied with angina, it is always best to consult a doctor and get the problem checked out.