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Is There Surgery For Congestive Heart Failure?

Surgeries are available to treat congestive heart failure. However, selecting the appropriate type of surgery relies on the doctor. The reason is that not all the patients are same and possess same metabolism or severity of the congestive heart failure condition. Therefore, the doctor chooses to proceed ahead only after acquiring detailed information related to the illness.

A surgical procedure is helpful in attending to the congestive heart failure condition. Several methods are useful in repairing the failing heart. Let us look at a few essential processes. The surgery for congestive heart failure depends on the severity of it:

Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) – People suffering from irregular heart rhythms possess the possibility to undergo surgery for implanting the device. The device helps in improving the heart rhythms by delivering the needed pace or the required electric shock.

Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) – The left ventricle of the heart is large and pumps out the blood needed for the body. The left ventricle assist device is a pump or a mechanical pump that runs on a battery and implanted using a surgery. The device provides the needed assistance for the heart, as it loses the conventional operating efficiency. The devices are available at all the leading heart transplant centers. Due to the operational cost and efficiency in functionality, LVAD is secondary option for people waiting for a donor heart. As patients wait over the period, the heart becomes weak and deteriorates, making it difficult for the patient to survive the situation.

Heart Transplantation – Several people suffer from congestive heart failure, which makes it difficult for any specialist to correct it using medicines or therapy. It is here that heart transplantation comes into effect. The surgery requires the surgeon to replace the damaged heart with that of the donor’s. The heart transplantation is a risky operation. It requires the surgeon to place the patient on heart-lung machine. The machine pumps the needed blood and oxygen to the body. During this period, the doctor removes the diseased heart and replaces it with the donor’s heart. After replacing, the doctor will close the breastbone, remove the heart-lung machine, and includes shock treatment to restart the heart.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (Angioplasty) – Failing heart leads to blockages of the arteries. The restriction for free passage of the blood makes it difficult for the heart to receive oxygen and nutrients to function appropriately. Angioplasty helps in opening the clogged arteries. Depending on the affected artery, the damage, and the location, the surgeon chooses for cardiac catheterization or replaces the clogged artery by picking a healthy one from another part of the body. Although, there is a little damage to the artery, the procedure helps in improving the condition of the patient.

Valve Replacement – Congestive heart failure could be the result of a failing valve. Heart valves ensure proper functionality and barricade back flow of the blood into the chambers of the heart. The functioning of the heart becomes difficult when any one of the four valves dysfunction. Improper function causes excessive stress on the heart. Correcting the problem is possible with the help of surgical procedure, which involves repairing the situation or replacing the damaged valve. It is possible to replace the damaged valve using a mechanical valve or a tissue valve. Mechanical valve has a longer lifespan whereas the tissue valve functions for a maximum of 15 years.

Additionally, the patients with a mechanical valve require consumption of anti-coagulation medicines for the rest of the life. Therefore, the surgeons use mechanical valves for the younger patients along with modifications to the lifestyle.

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Is There Surgery For Congestive Heart Failure?