Why Does Heart Health Matters: A Doctor’s Perspective

 It's similar to the speed of an automobile when it comes to heart rate. People want something that isn't too rapid, sluggish, or irregular. In reality, most of the time, people don't need to think about heart rhythm or speed. And, unless something out of the ordinary is happening, they are probably utterly ignorant of what their heart is doing.

The best cardiac surgeon in India, Dr. Sujay Shad at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, explains: the heart is responsible for circulating nutrient-rich blood and oxygen throughout the body. When it fails to do its job properly, the entire body suffers. Since the heart function (cardiac output) is closely tied to heart rate and stroke volume (the quantity of blood pumped out with each beat), heart rate is important to this process.

What is a Heart Rate?

Normally, heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats every minute. Bradycardia ("slow heart") is slower than 60 beats per minute; tachycardia ("fast heart") is more than 100 beats per minute. However, other doctors say a healthy resting heart rate is closer to 50 to 70 beats per minute. Whatever is regarded as normal, it is crucial to understand that a healthy heart rate will fluctuate based on the scenario.

• To identify heart rate, first, locate the pulse. 
• The side of the neck and the wrist's front part is the most accessible locations. 
• Then, in 30 seconds, note the number of beats. This is one's heart rate multiplied by two.

Furthermore, feeling the pulse can tell if the rhythm is regular, irregular, or a combination of the two.

When Does the Heart Rate Become Slow?

A slow beat in healthy adults might be caused by the following:

• Not being physically fit 
• Taking certain medications
• Sleep (but heart rate may increase during REM sleep).

A slow pulse, on the other side, can be an indication of sickness, such as:

• Heart attack or another type of heart disease (sick sinus syndrome)
• Certain diseases (Lyme disease and typhoid fever)
• Hyperkalemia (high potassium levels in the blood) is caused by an underactive thyroid.

What Causes Fast Heart Rate?

Healthy persons might have a quick heart rate due to the:

• Exercising, especially if it is strenuous or linked with dehydration. 
• Frightened or agitated - while a heart rate of more than 100 may be deemed "abnormal”.
• Using a stimulant like coffee or cocaine when pregnant.

A rapid heart rate is connected with the following diseases:

• Most infections or almost any cause of fever.
• Heart issues, such as cardiomyopathy (a condition where the heart's pumping function is decreased), ventricular tachycardia, or atrial fibrillation
• Particular medications ( EpiPen)
• Hypokalemia (when there are low potassium levels in the blood)
• Having an overactive thyroid gland or taking too much thyroid medication
• Anemia
• Asthma or other respiratory problems.

Why Are Regular Heart Check-ups Important?

Many heart disorders and associated risk factors might go unnoticed if routine heart checks and health tests are not performed. Preventative healthcare may assist the individual and their physicians in staying on top of their health and identify any health concerns before they become more serious. Regular heart checks will allow an individual to:

• Early detection of illnesses or diseases
• Reduce the likelihood of becoming sick
• Get the correct therapy as soon as possible
• Improve one's overall health
• Depicts one's health over time
• Minimize overall healthcare expenses
• Receive the most recent medical information as well as cutting-edge technology and practices
• One can develop a better bond with their doctor. 

What Can a Person Expect During Their General Check-up?

Even if a person does not already have a cardiovascular issue, regular check-ups are an excellent method to discover possible risk factors and avoid heart issues. During a heart screening, the physician will do a few tests to look for these risk factors and then choose the best treatment. Treatment methods range from dietary modifications to medicines. One can expect the following at their check-up:

• Blood pressure test - to diagnose elevated blood pressure, a blood pressure test can be conducted. High blood pressure puts more strain on the heart and can damage the arteries severely. If left untreated, blood clots can form, leading to heart failure or a heart attack. 
• Cholesterol screening - starting in their twenties, people should get their cholesterol tested once every 4-5 years. Since high cholesterol has no symptoms, they can spot it early. 
• A blood glucose test - determines the quantity of sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream. A glucose test can also aid in the diagnosis of diabetes. If left untreated, it can lead to stroke and heart disease.

In addition, if one needs heart surgery and wonders about, heart surgery cost in Delhi, one must understand that it all depends on the type of surgery, doctor’s qualification, specialization, and their years of experience. It will also vary from patient to patient.

Therefore, it is recommended to choose a suitable heart surgeon in Delhi. If looking for one, one can visit Dr. Sujay Shad, the best cardiac surgeon in India, at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.

He offers all types of heart treatments from minimally invasive to surgical procedures to save the life of his patients with heart issues. Do visit now!  

What To Expect When Undergoing Open Heart Surgery?

The heart is the most vital body organ that regulates blood circulation all over the body. But sometimes, it starts creating issues in pumping and filtering the blood, leading to heart pain, strokes and heart failure. Open heart surgery is the most widely performed procedure to manage and treat various heart issues. 

In this blog, Dr. Sujay Shad, a senior cardiac surgeon, will discuss an insightful study of open heart surgery. The heart specialist will also talk in detail about what one can expect before, after and during this surgical procedure. So, read the post and learn about the benefits of considering open heart surgery in Delhi.

What is open heart surgery?

As the name indicates, open heart surgery is a surgical procedure to treat various heart's health issues and improve one’s quality of life. Open surgery includes the minimally invasive treatment of heart muscle, arteries, valves, aorta and other arteries connected to the heart. Following are the medical conditions that require open heart surgery:

Medical Conditions require Open Heart Surgery 

• Coronary Artery Bypass 

Coronary arteries are the blood vessels. These blood vessels keep the heart healthy by supplying adequate blood, oxygen, and nutrients to heart muscles. Due to formation of sticky cholesterol caused by unhealthy lifestyle of smoking, oily food and various other things, this pathway gets blocked. This heart condition leads to severe chest pain, life-threatening heart attack and sometimes  death too. As a result an open heart surgery called coronary bypass surgery is used to create an alternate pathway to feed the heart.

    

• Heart valve repair or replacement

The heart has four valves that regulate blood flow through the heart and to the rest of the body. The four heart valves are the mitral, tricuspid, aortic, and pulmonary valves. Heart valve issues like stenosis, regurgitation, prolapse, endocarditis etc can arise due to congenital disabilities, infections, and age-related wear and tear. Heart valve issues lead to serious complications, including heart failure, stroke, and even death. Depending on the severity of the issue, heart valve surgery is done if repair or replacement is necessary.

• Aortic Surgery

The largest artery in the body, the aorta, transports oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the body's other organs. The swelling of an artery is known as an aneurysm. Abdominal aortic aneurysms and thoracic aortic aneurysms can occur in two different types of aneurysms of the aorta.

One of the most common aortic issues is an aortic aneurysm, a bulge or weakening of the wall of the aorta. If left untreated, an aortic aneurysm can rupture, leading to life-threatening internal bleeding. As a result, open heart surgery for aortic surgery is performed to prevent  aneurysm and further heart complications.

• Septal Myectomy for HOCM

Septal myectomy is a surgical procedure to treat hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), a genetic heart condition that causes the heart muscle to thicken and obstruct blood flow. While septal myectomy is a complex surgery, Dr. Sujay Shad, a top heart surgeon in Delhi, performs it successfully and improves symptoms and quality of life for HOCM patients.

• Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy

Blood clots form in the lungs and block the pulmonary arteries, leading to high blood pressure and strain on the right side of the heart. Such a heart condition requires Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) - a surgical procedure for treating chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

• Heart Failure Surgery

Heart failure surgery refers to a range of surgical procedures that can be used to treat advanced heart failure. These surgeries are typically reserved for patients with severe heart failure symptoms that are not responding to medical therapy. The most common types of heart failure surgery include heart transplant, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). 

A heart transplant involves replacing a patient's diseased heart with a healthy donor heart, while LVAD implantation involves implanting a mechanical device to help the heart pump blood. CRT uses a pacemaker-like device to help coordinate the contractions of the heart's ventricles. Heart failure surgery can significantly improve eligible patients' quality of life and survival.

Expectations from an open heart surgery

When an individual is diagnosed with an unhealthy heart and receives a recommendation for open heart surgery, things the individual can expect are underneath:

• Open heart surgery will be performed on the numbed body. For this surgeon will inject general anaesthesia first.
• As the name indicates, open heart surgery is a surgical procedure; hence the surgeon will make incisions of 8- to 10-inch in the chest.
• After that, the surgeon will access the heart. The surgeon will connect the heart to a heart-lung bypass machine. 
• This machine removes the blood away and performs the surgical procedure of heart valve repair, coronary bypass, aortic surgery and any other. 

How to Preparation for open heart surgery

Usually, best heart surgeons in Delhi consider a candidate with normal blood pressure, diabetes and maintained weight for open heart surgery. As a result, a patient can expect mentioned below-mentioned guidelines to follow:

• One must stop taking blood thinner medicines a week or two before surgery. 
• One must limit the consumption of alcohol and smoking. 
• One must avoid taking the stress of surgery and stay positive
• Candidates can reduce weight.

Medical procedure before open heart surgery

When one qualifies the eligibility criteria for open heart surgery, heart surgeons do the medical checkup, during which one can expect:

• X-rays of the chest 
• The candidate's chest must be hair-free.
• Sterilization of the surgical area with anti-bacterial soap or cleaner.
• An intravenous line (IV) will provide the fluids and medications.

Post Open Heart Surgery Expectation

Depending on the surgery, one can expect to spend a day or more in the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU). A heart surgeon will monitor the patient's health throughout this time daily. Anytime the patient feels well, the surgeon releases the discharge papers based on the patient's recovery report and allows the patient to return to the hospital for regular checkups.

The cardiac surgeon and colleagues will go over aftercare instructions before discharge. Patients may, however, be provided with a unique, firm pillow to protect their chest when they cough, sneeze, or get out of bed.

Benefits of Open heart surgery 

Open heart surgery is frequently advised for treating heart attack, heart failure, valvular disease, and coronary artery disease. The procedure for performing a coronary artery bypass is the most frequently used. The quality of life is improved, and long-lasting results are helped by this surgery, which has a high success rate for treating serious conditions that pose a threat to life.’

Beyond this, open heart procedures have a lot of other advantages, such as:

1. A decrease in chest pain 
2. An improvement in respiratory ability.
3. Bloodstream oxygen levels that are healthier
4. Lessened risk of stroke or blood vessel issues
5. Sustaining the benefits of open heart surgery involves lifelong dedication to certain lifestyle changes, each described below.

To know more about open heart surgery and when it is necessary. Book an appointment with Dr. Sujay Shad, best heart surgeon in Delhi at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital! 

Consult now for more information!