Which Diseases Require Heart Surgery?

Started about 60 years back, cardiac surgeries have come a long way. Broadly heart surgeries can be divided into:

• Congenital
• Adults
• Miscellaneous  Procedures

The congenital diseases are present from birth-there can be heart holes, blue babies and other wrong corrections in the vessels. But all congenital heart diseases can be corrected.

Also Read about Robotic Heart Surgery

Adult Cardiac Diseases:

• Obstruction to coronary arteries causing heart attack, angina, sudden deaths

• Valvular Heart diseases (one of the most common ailment in India): It is caused most likely due to Rheumatic diseases or sometimes a combination of valve malfunctioning or coronary heart disease can occur.
•   Obstruction of Aorta or Aortic Aneurysm. Aorta can be replaced with the help of tube grafts. If the patient becomes symptomatic and suffers from a heart failure, it is important that an immediate cardiac transplant is done or a LVAD device is implanted.

Quick Tips on how you can keep your heart healthy

• Regular exercising or ½ an hour brisk walk at 2-4 times in a week. You can help yourself by avoiding taking lifts or walking to the vegetable market to buy vegetables.
• Stop smoking and avoiding tobacco in any form
• Keep intact your blood sugar by exercising, doing yoga
• Consume a low-fat, low sugar and a high protein diet
• Maintain your blood sugar by reducing the amount of salt
• In case rheumatic fever persists, take your child for an echocardiogram to check for valves malfunctioning.