Who Needs Heart Surgery?
Heart surgery is used to treat people who have
severe heart diseases and conditions. If other treatments, such as lifestyle
changes, medicines, and medical procedures, haven't worked or can't be used,
heart surgery may be an option.
Heart surgery is used to treat
heart
failure and
coronary
artery disease. It's also used to fix heart valves that don't work right,
to regulate heart rhythms, and to replace a damaged heart with a healthy one.
Specialists Involved
Your primary care doctor, a cardiologist, and a
cardiothoracic (KAR-de-o-tho-RAS-ik) surgeon will decide whether you need heart
surgery. A cardiologist specializes in treating heart problems. A
cardiothoracic surgeon specializes in surgery on the heart and lungs.
These doctors will talk with you and do tests to
learn about your general health and your heart problem. They'll discuss test
results with you, and you will help make decisions about the surgery.
Medical Evaluation
Your doctors will talk with you about:
- The kind of heart problem you have, the symptoms
it's causing, and how long you have had symptoms
- Your history and past treatment for heart
problems, including surgeries, procedures, and medicines
- Your family's history of heart problems
- Your history of other health problems and
conditions, such as diabetes or
high
blood pressure
- Your age and general health
The doctors also may do blood tests, such as a
complete blood count, a cholesterol test, and other tests as needed.
Diagnostic Tests
Medical tests are done to find out more about your
heart problem and your general health. This helps your doctors decide whether
you need heart surgery, what type of surgery you need, and when to do it.
EKG (Electrocardiogram)
An
EKG
is a simple and painless test that records the electrical activity of your
heart. This test is used to help detect and locate the source of heart
problems.
A technician attaches sticky patches, called
electrodes, to the skin of your chest, arms, and legs. The electrodes are
attached with wires to a machine that records your heart's electrical
signals.
An EKG shows how fast your heart is beating and
whether its rhythm is steady or irregular. It also shows where in your heart
the electrical activity starts, and whether it's traveling through your heart
in a normal way.
Stress Test
Some heart problems are easier to diagnose when your
heart is working harder and beating faster than when it's at rest. During
stress
testing, you exercise (or are given medicine if you're unable to exercise)
to make your heart work hard and beat fast.
During the stress test, your blood pressure is
checked and an EKG is done. Other heart tests also may be performed.
Echocardiography
Echocardiography
is a painless, noninvasive test. "Noninvasive" means that no surgery is done
and no instruments are inserted into your body.
This test uses sound waves to create a moving
picture of your heart. Echocardiography provides information about the size and
shape of your heart and how well your heart chambers and valves are working.
The test also can show areas of poor blood flow to
your heart, areas of heart muscle that aren't contracting normally, and
previous injury to your heart muscle caused by poor blood flow.
Coronary Angiography
Coronary
angiography (an-jee-OG-ra-fee) uses a special dye to show the insides of
your coronary arteries on x-ray pictures. An angiogram shows the location and
severity of blockages in blood vessels.
To get the dye to your coronary arteries, a
procedure called
cardiac
catheterization (KATH-e-ter-i-ZA-shun) is used. Cardiologists usually do
cardiac catheterizations in a hospital. You're awake during the procedure, and
it usually causes little to no pain.
During this procedure, a catheter (a thin, flexible
tube) is passed through an artery in your leg or arm and threaded to your
heart. The dye is injected into your bloodstream through the tip of the
catheter.
Aortogram
An aortogram is an angiogram of the aorta. The aorta
is the main artery that carries blood from your heart to your body. An
aortogram may show the location and size of an
aortic
aneurysm and the arteries that are involved.
Chest X Ray
A chest x ray provides a picture of the organs and
structures inside your chest, including the heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
This test gives your doctor information about the size and shape of your heart.
A chest x ray also shows the position and shape of the large arteries around
your heart.
Cardiac Computed Tomography Scan
A
cardiac
computed tomography (CT) scan provides computer-generated, x-ray images of
your internal organs. A liquid dye that can be seen on an x ray is injected
into a vein in your arm. The dye outlines arteries and veins in your heart on
the CT scan.
A cardiac CT scan can show whether plaque is
narrowing your coronary arteries or whether you have an aneurysm. A CT scan
also can find problems with heart function and heart valves.
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Cardiac
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a safe and noninvasive test that uses
magnets and radio waves to create images of the inside of your body.
Cardiac MRI uses a computer to create images of your
heart as it's beating. The computer makes both still and moving pictures of
your heart and major blood vessels.
Cardiac MRI shows the structure and function of your
heart. This test is very accurate at finding aneurysms and determining their
size and exact location. |