Quadruple bypass surgery is anopen-heartsurgical procedure that is done to improve blood flow to the heart muscle.
This will help you to understand when bypass surgery may be needed and what it achieves.
This article explains the goals of this procedure and walks you through the steps leading up to it.
Verywell / Tim Liedtke
It also describes what to expect during recovery and some common lifestyle changes after surgery.
Anatomy of the Heart
The heart’s muscle pumps to keep blood moving throughout the body.
The coronary arteries are blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood.Sometimes these blood vessels can become blocked.
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A quadruple bypass heart surgery is performed when four blood vessels that feed the heart are blocked.
The surgery is needed to reroute blood around the blockages with vessels taken from other parts of the body.
Each of these replaced vessels is called a bypass graft.
This condition is known ascoronary artery disease.
Usually, the chest pain occurs during physical exertion.
This is because the demand for oxygen in the heart is greater.
The narrowed vessels are not able to meet the increase in the heart muscle’s needs.
That is when the chest pain will begin.
In many cases, coronary artery disease can be treated with medication or lifestyle changes.
It may also be treated with a minimally invasive surgical procedure, such asangioplasty.
Potential Risks
As with any surgery, bypass surgery carries risks.
Success Rate
Coronary artery bypass surgery has a high success rate.
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What to Expect on the Day of Surgery
General anesthesia is started right before the surgical procedure.
Then thecardiothoracicsurgeon starts harvesting (removing) veins from the legs or arms.
These vessels are used for bypass grafts.
Meanwhile, the surgeon opens the chest and begins preparing the heart.
During the vast majority of quadruple bypass surgeries, the heart is stopped to prevent motion.
A heart-lung bypass machine is used to allow both the heart and lungs to be still.
This helps the surgical team complete the graft portion of the surgery safely and quickly.
The machine supplies oxygen to the blood instead of the lungs doing so.
It pumps the oxygenated blood through the body as the heart would normally do.
During surgery, the blood vessels are attached to the existing heart vessel, around the areas of blockage.
How Long Does a Quadruple Bypass Take?
What’s the Recovery Process Like?
The recovery from open-heart surgery is not a quick one.
The first day after surgery is typically spent in the ICU or a cardiac care unit.
There, you will wake up slowly from anesthesia.
Open-heart patients typically spend three or more days in the hospital prior to being discharged.
The typical recovery lasts between six and 12 weeks.
Most people are able to return to their usual activities after recovery is complete.
These changes may include aheart-healthy diet, with limits on saturated fat and cholesterol.
Exercise also will help.
What Is the Survival Rate of a Quadruple Bypass Surgery?
This operation consistently prolongs life in people who have severe blockages in one or more coronary arteries.
Actual survival rates vary from hospital to hospital along with other factors like a patient’s age and sex.
These blockages need to be “bypassed” so the blood flow is rerouted past them.
This means they are grafted onto the existing arteries that feed the heart muscle.
Once the surgery is complete, blood flow should be restored as it moves around the blockages.
The surgery has its risks, so it is done only when the benefits outweigh those risks.
People who have the procedure usually stay in the hospital for a few days.
Recovery may take up to 12 weeks.
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