Open Heart Surgery in Turkey

Open Heart Surgery in Turkey is an article that aims to give you all the information you do not know about Open Heart Surgery in Turkey and more. We kindly shared the main headings with you;

Heart surgery indicates treatments for heart issues. The most trustworthy method for surgeons to perform heart surgery is open-heart surgery. If you are healthy enough to tolerate an open operation, your doctor might advise it. Heart disorders such as heart failure, congenital heart defects, arrhythmias, aneurysms, and coronary artery disease are all treated by open-heart surgery.

One approach for doctors to access the heart is through open heart surgery. The chest wall gets opened to access the heart more easily during open-heart surgery. Surgeons split the ribs and cut through the sternum (breastbone) to gain access to the heart. This is sometimes referred to as chest-cracking.

 

There are two techniques used in open-heart surgery:

• On-pump: When connected to the heart, a heart-lung bypass machine temporarily replaces the heart and lungs. Blood is moved away from the heart as it is circulated throughout the body. The surgeon then performs surgery on an unbeating, bloodless heart. After the procedure, the surgeon disconnects the device, and the heart begins to beat once more.
• Off-pump: A heart that is still beating normally is used for bypass surgery. This strategy is exclusively effective for CABG surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting). This procedure could be referred to as “beating-heart surgery” by your doctor.

Having one of the following heart problems may necessitate open heart surgery:

• Atrial fibrillation (type of arrhythmia)
• Atrial septal defect (heart hole) and hypoplastic left heart syndrome (underdeveloped heart structures) that are also known as congenital heart defects
• Arterial disease in the heart (coronary artery disease)
• Heart failure
• A condition affecting the heart valves
• Thoracic aortic aneurysm

You require open heart surgery due to the severity of your coronary artery disease. Your cardiologist may advise open heart surgery to address your clogged artery if medication is ineffective. Your clogged artery will be replaced with a healthy artery after this procedure. Your life will be prolonged and enhanced as a result of the blood returning to your heart. Based on the following factors, your cardiologist will determine if you are a good candidate for open heart surgery:

• A healthy bodily state. Your cardiologist will evaluate your physical health despite your cardiac issue. A valve or artery in your heart that is no longer functional will be removed during open heart surgery, but this won’t fix your heart problem. If you do not adopt healthy lifestyle adjustments after the surgery, there is a danger that your artery will re-occur with blockage. It’s critical to commit to regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and eating a wholesome, balanced diet. After your open heart surgery, changes like these will help you live longer and better.
• After-surgery treatment. Do you have a caretaker who will look after you well after the procedure? Your open heart surgery outcome will be greatly influenced by your post-op treatment. Recall that it might take anywhere from 5 to 24 weeks to recuperate following open heart surgery. You should refrain from strenuous physical activity while you’re recovering. Exercise could make your incision more visible, strain your chest, and cause a variety of other problems.
• Issue of smoking. You’ll be advised to give up smoking and lead a healthy lifestyle by your cardiologist. Those who have had heart bypass surgery can survive for many years if they give up bad habits like smoking.

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You should follow the advice of your healthcare practitioner regarding how to get ready for open-heart surgery as follows,

• You may need to stop taking some medications a week or two before to surgery. Aspirin, warfarin, and other blood clot and stroke prevention medications, as well as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), are frequently stopped by patients (NSAIDs). Some drugs may raise the risk of bleeding.
• Prior to your surgery, your medical team will ask you to not eat or drink because it is safer if your stomach is empty when you are under anesthesia.
• Reduce your alcohol intake and give up smoking because both can impede postoperative recovery and raise the possibility of complications.

Before the operation

Before having open heart surgery:

• You can have an electrocardiogram (EKG), chest X-rays, or other diagnostics to aid the surgeon in planning the surgery.
• Shave your chest.
• Clean the surgery site with antibacterial soap to kill bacteria.

During the operation

Direct access to the heart and its surrounding blood arteries is necessary for some treatments. These treatments can occasionally be performed using less invasive methods. In order to choose the best course of therapy, your surgeon will evaluate your health status.

Open heart surgery may involve several procedures like,

• Fixing an aneurysm
• Correction of congenital cardiac defects
• Treatment of coronary artery disease (bypass surgery)
• Heart transplant to treat heart failure
• Heart valve replacement or repair to treat heart valve disease
• Usage of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) or complete artificial heart implant to treat heart failure

While carrying out other procedures, doctors will occasionally implant pacemakers or implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) during open-heart surgery. The same technique could include arrhythmia ablation procedures.

Heart surgery is a complicated process. Some operations could go on for six hours or longer. Having received an anesthetic, you will be unconscious throughout the surgery. 

The steps of the procedure depend on the cardiac condition you have, however typically, your doctor:

• Makes a cut through the center of your chest that is 6 to 8 inches long.
• Spreads your ribs apart and cuts through your breastbone to get to your heart.
• Connects the heart to a heart-lung bypass machine if you’re having an on-pump procedure. An anesthesiologist supervises you throughout the procedure and administers intravenous medicine to stop your heart from beating.
• Repairs your heart.
• Restores your heart’s blood flow. Your heart typically begins to beat on its own. The heart occasionally needs a slight electrical jolt to restart.
• Disconnects the heart-lung bypass equipment.
• Closes the breastbone or other wound with internal wires or stitches.
• Closes the skin wound with stitches.

After the operation

Following surgery, you might feel: 

• Constipation (a common side effect of powerful pain medications)
• Mood swings or depression. After open heart surgery, some patients do feel anxiety or despair. You can manage these consequences with the aid of a therapist or psychologist.
• Insomnia or a problem falling asleep
• Decrease in appetite
• Memory issues. While some individuals who undergo open heart surgery may later experience mental impairment, it is believed that this is most likely caused by the normal processes of aging.
• Ache in the chest muscles
• An incision site with pain, bruising, and slight swelling.

You can spend a day or more in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU), depending on the surgery. You will be transferred to a standard hospital room after you are prepared. Expect to be in the hospital for a number of days. You will be informed about how to take care of your incision by your heart care team. When you cough, sneeze or get out of bed, you might have a special hard pillow to protect your chest.

The length of recovery depends on the type of surgery, any complications, and your general health before surgery. Recovery following an open-heart treatment can take 6 to 12 weeks, and occasionally more. Your surgeon will inform you when you may resume employment and other activities. For the first six weeks, you usually shouldn’t operate heavy machinery or lift anything. Following cardiac surgery, some patients require blood thinners to prevent blood clots. Moreover, cardiac rehabilitation may be suggested by your doctor. You can rebuild your strength and stamina and enhance your general heart health with the aid of this medically supervised program.

In the first few days after surgery, taking care of yourself at home is crucial to your recovery. Consider the followings,

Incision site

It’s crucial to take care of your incisions. Wash your hands before and after touching the incision site, and keep it warm and dry. You can take a shower if your incision is healing correctly and there is no drainage. Warm (not hot) water in the shower shouldn’t be used for more than 10 minutes. Be sure that water doesn’t immediately reach the incision site. Also, it’s crucial to routinely check your incision areas for infection symptoms, such as:

• Redness surrounding the incision site
• Warmth along the incision line
• Fever
• Increased drainage, leaking, or opening from the incision site

Handling Pain

In order to speed up recovery and reduce the risk of complications like blood clots or pneumonia, pain management is also crucial. You might experience pain in your muscles, throat, at the sites of your incisions, or from chest tubes. Most likely, you’ll be given painkillers to take at home by your doctor. You must take it exactly as directed. Some medical professionals advise taking the painkiller both before exercise and before bed.

Troubles with sleeping

After open-heart surgery, some people have problems falling asleep, but it’s crucial to get as much rest as you can. In order to sleep better, you can:

• Take your painkillers 30 minutes before bed, and arrange pillows to reduce muscle strain.
• Avoid the consumption of caffeine, especially at night.

Rehabilitation

An organized, thorough rehabilitation program is beneficial for the majority of CABG (coronary artery bypass graft) patients. With visits multiple times each week, this is typically handled in an outpatient way. Exercise, lowering risk factors, and addressing stress, anxiety, and depression are among the program’s components.

Although it might be a frightening thought for someone who has just received a diagnosis open heart surgery has several advantages as follows,

• Improvement in symptoms, such as chest pain and dyspnea
• Low rate of heart attack
• High success rate

A major surgical procedure is open heart surgery. As with any procedure, there are dangers. When you have health issues like diabetes or obesity, you run a higher risk of complications. You are also at greater risk if you have lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking will also make you more likely to experience complications during and following surgery. The following are hazards associated with surgery:

• Anesthesia-related allergy response
• Arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat)
• Bleeding
• Harm to the kidneys or lungs, or to nearby blood arteries
• Infections
• Stroke

If you have a high-risk medical condition and it has been established that you are not a good candidate for cardiac surgery, PCI may be the right choice for you.

A cardiologist performs a traditional PCI, a non-surgical treatment, to reopen the restricted section of the artery and restore normal blood flow. To maintain the artery open, a stent, a tiny metal scaffold, may also be inserted. A patient is often recommended for open heart surgery if PCI is not an option. Some patients’ conditions, however, are too severe for conventional PCI and too risky for heart surgery. Protected PCI might be an alternative for these patients.

What is protected PCI?

Impella, the smallest heart pump in the world, is utilized during the more recent but still popular technique known as protected PCI to temporarily support the heart’s pumping action. The Impella heart pump guarantees that vital organs including the brain, kidneys, and lungs continue to get blood flow during a PCI treatment. The pump takes over the job of effectively transporting the blood while the blockages in the coronary arteries are being corrected, allowing the heart to rest.

Several operations that traditionally required opening the chest can now be performed through small incisions or minimally invasive heart surgery as a result of technological developments. Sometimes the surgeon still needs to cut through a portion of the breastbone (partial sternotomy). 

Considering your state of condition, your surgeon can be able to apply the following techniques:

• Catheter-based: Your doctor threads a catheter—a tiny, hollow tube—into your heart. The treatment is then carried out by the surgeon by inserting surgical tools, balloons, or stents through the catheter. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and coronary angioplasty and stenting are two examples of catheter-based procedures.
• Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS): During video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), your doctor makes numerous tiny incisions in your chest and inserts a tiny video camera (thoracoscope) and surgical tools. To implant a pacemaker, replace damaged heart valves or handle arrhythmias, your surgeon might employ VATS.
• Robotically assisted: Robotically assisted surgery may be an option for some patients with valvular heart disease, cardiac tumors, atrial fibrillation, and septal defects (holes in the heart).

You may wonder “What is the cost of open heart surgery in Turkey?”. The cost of open heart surgery in Turkey varies depending on many factors however it can be estimated as $125,000 on average. 

 Open Heart Surgery in Turkey Summary (Price, Duration Time, Hospitalization)

 

Operation Number	–	Time to return to work	6-10 weeks
Operation Time	3-5 hours	Recovery	6-12 weeks
Anaesthesia	General	Persistence of Results	10+ years
Sensitivity Time	6 weeks	Hospital Stay	Few days
Price	125,000 EUR