Important Thing to Know about Coronary Artery Disease: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments

Coronary heart disease – the leading cause of death in the India – occurs when a fatty buildup narrows or blocks the heart’s arteries. In bypass surgery, a surgeon opens the patient’s chest cavity and creates a detour around the blocked artery using a vein from another part of the body. In PCI, also known as angioplasty, a surgeon threads instruments through a small incision to clean out the blockage and insert a wire stent, or tube, to keep the artery open (a small balloon may also be used to open the artery).

While some previous studies have suggested the two treatments have similar long-term outcomes, others have also shown better outcomes with bypass surgery. Patients and doctors tend to choose the less-invasive PCI when both treatments are an option.

The researchers combined patient data from the American College of Cardiology Foundation CathPCI database, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons CABG database and the Medicare claims database to compare survival rates among 86,000 bypass surgery patients and 103,000 PCI patients who underwent treatment from 2004-2008. We used sophisticated statistics to account for different levels of risk, but there may be differences between the two groups that we could not account for,” he said.

Survival was better with coronary surgery for all patient subgroups. This study should help inform decision making concerning the choice of revascularization in patients with stable ischemic heart disease.

The current success rate for bypass surgery is 95 to 98 percent, meaning that between 2 and 5 percent of all patients have complications, including death. The survival rate has improved over time.

Causes, Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease:

Today, more than 95 percent of people who undergo coronary bypass surgery do not experience serious complications, and the risk of death immediately after the procedure is only 1–2 percent.

The mean success rate for coronary bypass operations is 98%. The risk may be higher for patients with severe damage to the heart muscle and severe blockage of the arteries. Even in the hands of the most competent surgeon, about 2% of the patients will not survive the surgery.

Follow-up studies have shown that in many patients with poor heart muscle function – resulting from a heart attack – the poor function improves after bypass surgery. The improved blood supply stimulates the damaged heart muscle to contract with more force.

No surgery is without risk. Complications such as below may occur after heart surgery.

• Arrhythmias,
• Kidney failure,
• Stroke and infections

Some people – especially those older than 70 years, those who have hypertension or lung disease or consume alcohol excessively – experience a decline in memory and intellectual functioning after coronary bypass surgery. But most people regain their memory and intellectual abilities within six to 12 months.

Patients with coronary heart disease and their doctors have long been challenged by the decision of whether to pursue bypass surgery or opt for the less-invasive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI, which includes stenting and balloon angioplasty). New evidence reveals bypass surgery appears to carry a higher long-term survival rate, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology’s 61st Annual Scientific Session. The Scientific Session, the premier cardiovascular medical meeting, brings cardiovascular professionals together to further advances in the field.

Treatment for Coronary Artery Disease in India:

Apollo Hospitals is the first Private hospital who started beating heart surgery in India since 1996,by the team of Dr Bhaba Nanda Das who did the first beating heart bypass surgery in this country. Presently we are the only health care group who routinely performs beating heart, total arterial re-vascularization (Up to 95% of cases) who are less than 60 years of age.

Doctor Profile:

Doctor Name – Dr Bhaba Nanda Das

Qualification – MBBS, MS, MCh

Experience – 30+ years

Certifications & Professional Memberships

• WHO Fellowship 1993
• Commonwealth Fellowship in 1994
• Vishisth Chikitsa Ratan Award on 1st July 2012 by Delhi Medical Association.

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