How to Prepare for Bypass Surgery Risks

As with any surgery, there are risks in having coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The risks, however, must be considered in comparison to the overall expected outcome. A successful bypass surgery can mean the difference in life and death, or at the very least, an improved quality of life. Your doctor will help you prepare for any possible risks prior to scheduling bypass surgery.

Things You'll Need

• Cardiovascular surgeon

Instructions

Understand the Potential Risks With Coronary Bypass Surgery

1. Prepare for the possibility of difficulty breathing following bypass surgery. This most likely will be short-term and may resolve with the use of a ventilator to support oxygenation during recovery.

2. Realize that some patients experience infection. This can be serious, but most incidents are easily controlled with appropriate antibiotic intervention.

3. Prepare for a second surgery if bleeding is experienced. While this is a rare complication, it is one that may require exploratory surgery to locate the source of the bleeding. With a second surgery, other risk factors such as infection and lung complications are increased.

4. Know that high blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythm are risks that can usually be controlled through medication. These irregularities often are resolved through the recovery process.

5. Discuss the more serious complications such as kidney failure with your cardiovascular surgeon. This can be a result of the time spent on the heart-lung machine during surgery. Other possible complications include heart attack, stroke and death.

6. Prepare for the newly grafted arteries to become blocked in the future. This is more of a risk for older patients when the choice of viable veins for more grafts is limited. The heart disease may worsen and a second surgery may not be recommended.

7. Consider the risks of coronary bypass surgery to be increased if the procedure is performed as an emergency intervention rather than a planned procedure. Once a heart attack has occurred, the potential complications are much worse.

Tips & Warnings

• Dementia is not caused by coronary bypass surgery, but it may be exacerbated in patients who have pre-existing mental decline.

• The risks from the use of the cardiopulmonary bypass machine are much less today than in previous decades. Surgical techniques continue to improve, and that reduces the amount of time spent on bypass.

• Age and overall medical condition will affect the potential outcome of bypass surgery. Diabetes is a major concern since the condition of the veins is affected, and the healing process is compromised.