How are operations performed? The main types of surgical intervention on the heart Emergency heart surgery consequences

May God grant everyone to live a long life so that the surgeon's scalpel never touches his heart. However, not always cardiac surgery can be replaced by therapy.

When is surgery necessary?

When conservative therapy does not give the desired result.
When, despite all the ongoing treatment, the patient's condition continues to deteriorate.
When there are severe congenital heart defects, severe arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy.

By urgency, cardiosurgical operations are emergency and planned.

Emergencies are carried out when a person's life is in serious danger. This happens when a myocardial infarction occurs, a blood clot suddenly breaks off, or aortic dissection begins. They do not tolerate delay in surgery when the heart is injured. The consequences of delay are severe.
Planned are carried out in accordance with the developed plan for the correction of the patient's health. The date of the operation may be postponed depending on the circumstances. For example: with a cold, to avoid additional stress on the heart, or when the pressure suddenly dropped.

Surgical intervention differs in the technique of execution. There are such types of heart operations:

with the opening of the chest;
without opening the chest.

open heart surgery

Chest opening operations

Such surgical intervention is used in especially severe cases, when full accessibility of the heart is required during the operation.

Opening of the chest is performed with such pathologies:

tetralogy of Fallot (the so-called congenital heart disease with four serious violations of the anatomical structure);
serious anomalies of intracardiac partitions, valves, aorta and coronary arteries;
heart tumors.

The patient arrives at the hospital one day before the operation. Passes inspection, gives written consent. Be sure to wash with antibacterial soap and shave your hair. Where do you shave your body hair? The hair will be shaved at the site of the proposed incision. If you are going to have a coronary bypass surgery, you will have to shave your legs and groin. In the case of a heart valve replacement, it is necessary to shave the hair in the lower abdomen and in the groin area.

The surgery is performed under general anesthesia. To gain access to the heart, the surgeon opens the chest of the person being operated on. The patient is connected to an artificial lung ventilation apparatus, the heart stops for a while and surgical manipulations are performed with the organ.

How long the operation takes depends on the severity of the pathology. On average, several hours.

Tetralogy of Fallot

Open heart surgery has two advantages.

The surgeon has full access to the patient's heart.
Such a surgical intervention is possible without state-of-the-art medical equipment.

However, there are also significant drawbacks.

Surgical manipulations with the heart last several hours, which leads to fatigue of the operating team, during the operation there is a higher probability of making an erroneous action.
Opening the chest is fraught with various injuries.
There is a noticeable scar after heart surgery.
Various complications are not excluded:

myocardial infarction,
thromboembolism,
bleeding,
infections;
coma after surgery.

A long recovery is required with significant limitations in the patient's activities.

In most cases, when surgery is performed with an opening of the chest, disability is given after heart surgery, as after a heart attack.

What operations and under what pathologies are performed on the open heart?

Pathologies of the coronary arteries

Coronary artery bypass grafting is done in case of serious atherosclerotic lesions of the coronary arteries, which led to a severe form of coronary heart disease. The essence of shunting is to create a bypass for blood flow to the heart using a shunt, for which an artery or vein taken from the patient is used. For example: mammary coronary artery bypass grafting (MCB) is performed using the internal mammary (mammary) artery.

Operation Ross

Heart valve defects

Today, valves made from the patient's biological material are used to replace damaged valves.

The Ross procedure involves using the patient's own valvular pulmonary artery to replace a diseased aortic valve. An implant is placed in place of the pulmonary valve. Eliminates complications associated with rejection of a valve made of foreign material. Made for both adults and children.
The Ozaki operation involves the use of the patient's own tissue. Only in this case, the replacement of the aortic valve is performed with a valve made from the patient's pericardium. Complications with valve rejection are not observed for the same reason.

Such surgical manipulations are within the competence of cardiac surgeons, and are one of the most complex in nature. Heart surgery is a last resort in the treatment of serious cardiovascular diseases, which are resorted to in order to improve the quality of life of the patient, and sometimes even save his life.

In Russia, this type of surgical intervention is not practiced as often as, for example, in America or in European countries. First of all, this is due to the cost of such treatment: not every citizen of the Russian Federation is able to pay the costs of the operation out of his own pocket.

At the same time, this branch of medicine in domestic medical institutions is constantly developing, which makes it possible for patients to receive qualified advice and assistance when applying.

When is heart surgery performed - indications and timing

The main pathologies that may require surgical intervention are:

Poor myocardial blood supply. A similar condition in medical circles is called coronary heart disease. IHD can lead to the formation of an aneurysm, extensive thrombosis. With all the described ailments, certain surgical procedures on the heart may be required.
Heart defects that have both innate and acquired nature. Many defects in the structure of the heart valve are incompatible with life. Therefore, such pathologies are diagnosed even in the prenatal period, and the operation itself is carried out in the first days of the baby's life.
Failures in the frequency, sequence and rhythm of heart contraction, - arrhythmias.

Common indications for heart surgery are the following pathological conditions:

Active deterioration of vital signs against the background of the development of underlying heart disease.
The inability of drug therapy to cope with the manifestations of the disease.
Noticeable deterioration in the functioning of the heart muscle that cannot be eliminated with medications.
advanced stage of the disease. This happens when the patient does not seek qualified help in time.

It should also be taken into account that any surgical manipulations on the heart carry a risk and are fraught with the development of a number of exacerbations in the rehabilitation period. Doctors turn to such treatment when other measures do not bring the desired effect.

In addition, heart surgery requires a comprehensive examination of the patient and careful preparation for the operation. This will ensure a successful recovery and minimize the likelihood of postoperative complications.

Based on the patient's condition, the type of surgical intervention under consideration is:

emergency. In such a situation, examination and preparation are carried out in a minimal amount, and the operation itself is carried out as soon as possible. This type of manipulation is prescribed for life-threatening conditions, when every minute counts: with aneurysm rupture, extensive myocardial infarction. Often, emergency interventions on the heart are performed on newborns with complex heart disease.
Urgent. There is time for diagnostic and preparatory measures, but not much. After receiving the results of the examination, surgical treatment of the heart disease is carried out.
planned. In some medical sources, this type of operation is called elective. After a detailed study of the patient's condition by a cardiac surgeon, a final decision is made on the need for surgical intervention. Together with the patient or his parents (when operating on a child), the exact date of the operation is agreed.

Closed and open heart surgeries - how they are performed and to whom they are prescribed

Based on the type of defect that needs to be eliminated, various methods of surgical intervention are used:

Note!

Not so long ago, a new direction in the treatment of heart defects began to be applied in cardiac surgery - X-ray surgery. In essence, they are minimally invasive - the doctor makes small incisions or punctures, and brings special instruments to the heart zone through the catheter. An access point can be, incl. and femoral vessels. Using cans, you can increase the diameter of the narrowed valve - or reduce it by opening the patch (its design is similar to an umbrella). With the help of expanding tubules, vascular stenosis is eliminated.

The progress of the entire procedure is monitored through the monitor screen - this ensures the effectiveness of the operation, as well as its safety for the patient. In addition, during the manipulation under consideration, general anesthesia is not used: the doctor is limited to anesthesia with mini-accesses.

X-ray surgery can be both the main and auxiliary methods of treating errors in the work of the heart.

Most popular types of heart surgery

To date, the following operations are used in cardiac surgery practice:

1. With coronary heart disease:

2. In case of diagnosing heart disease:

3. In the presence of arrhythmia:

In cases where the treatment of individual anatomical structures of the heart is impossible or ineffective, and the main organ for pumping blood cannot cope with its main function, they perform heart transplant .

This operation is fraught with a number of complications, among which is graft rejection.

Today, scientists are conducting research to maximize the life extension of those who have survived heart transplants.

Tuesday is surgery day. The team is preparing for a long morning work. During the operation, the chest is opened and the heart is prepared for vessel transplantation.

Disease history

Mr. Thomas, a 59-year-old tanker driver, is married with two adult children. He had shingles on the right side of his neck, followed by an uncomfortable constriction in his throat, accompanied by sweating and nausea. He first felt these symptoms while walking up the steps of his truck. They continued, and Thomas decided to seek the advice of a therapist.

Thomas's high blood pressure, obesity, and long history of smoking were reason enough for an ECG. Her results showed the presence of coronary heart disease. Thomas was referred to a cardiac expert (a cardiac internist, not a surgeon). Despite the applied medical treatment, the pain continued.

Tests confirmed the presence of the disease, in particular an angiogram (a test using a dye injected into the artery to detect narrowing) revealed a narrowing in the left main coronary artery with damage to the left and right vessels. Since medical treatment was unsuccessful and angioplasty (stretching a narrowed vessel using a catheter) was not an option, Mr. Thomas was referred for surgery.

Monday

Mr. Thomas is hospitalized. His anamnesis, data of examinations and tests were analyzed. Two units of blood for transfusion are tested for compatibility. The patient is explained the essence of the operation and warned about the risk associated with it. Obtain written consent for CABG.

Tuesday

Early in the morning, Mr. Thomas is being prepared for the operation.

7:05 Premedication and anesthesia

8:15 a.m. Mr. Thomas was sedated 70 minutes ago and a ventilation tube has already been placed in his airway. After the application of anesthesia and paralyzing agents, his breathing is supported by a ventilator. Prior to transferring Mr. Thomas to the operating room, the anesthesiologist establishes monitoring of venous and arterial blood flow.

8:16 OR Mr. Thomas is set up. On the left - a table with instruments, on the right - a ready-to-use heart-lung apparatus.

8:25 Patient in the operating room. The skin of his chest and legs are treated with an antiseptic solution to reduce the risk of infection.

8:40 Opening of the chest

The skin has already been processed, the patient is dressed in sterile clothes. One of the surgeons makes an incision in the leg to extract the vein, and the second cuts the skin on the chest. After a preliminary incision with an ordinary scalpel, he uses an electric one, which cuts the vessels, stopping the bleeding.

8:48 The surgeon cuts the sternum bone with an electric saw with a pneumatic drive.

8:55 Artery and vein removal

View of the internal thoracic (mammary) artery in the mirror in the center of the surgical lamp. This artery is very elastic. The top end of it will remain in place, it will be cut off at the bottom and then connected to the coronary artery.

An angled retractor is placed along the left edge of the sternum to lift it and expose the mammary artery that runs along the inside of the chest.

At the same time, one of the main veins on the leg - the great saphenous vein - is prepared for transplantation. It is almost completely removed from the left thigh.

9:05 Connecting to the heart-lung machine

The heart-lung machine is not yet connected to the patient. One of the five rotating pumps circulates the blood, while the rest are used as side pumps to transport separated blood to prevent blood loss during surgery. The patient needs to enter heparin - a means to thin the blood and prevent the formation of clots during its passage through plastic tubes.

Tubes to the heart-lung apparatus. On the left, with bright red blood, is the arterial return line, which carries blood back into the patient's aorta. On the right - two tubes that drain blood from the inferior and superior vena cava under the influence of gravity. The incision in the sternum is fixed with a spacer.

Part of the heart-lung apparatus is a membrane oxygenating device that maintains blood circulation in the patient's body. At the moment, the device is filled with blood, carbon dioxide is removed from it. The blood is re-oxygenated and returned to the patient's body.

An arterial return tube is inserted into the aorta (the main artery of the body) and two venous drains are inserted into the vena cava (the main vein of the body).

9:25 Cardiac arrest

On the main artery - the aorta - a clamp is placed to isolate the heart from artificial blood circulation. Chilled fluid is injected into the isolated aorta to stop the heart. The surgeon puts on special glasses for microsurgery with loupes that give a magnification of 2.5 times. The blood vessels he will transplant are 2-3 mm in diameter, and the sutures are the diameter of a human hair.

A thorough examination of the heart is carried out to confirm the data obtained using the angiogram. It is specified which coronary arteries need to be bypassed. It was decided to make two shunts.

After stopping the blood flow in the left anterior descending artery, a 1 cm long incision is made at the bypass site using a surgical loop.

10:00 First bypass

Close-up of the heart. The left internal mammary (mammary) artery - in the upper left corner - is sutured to the left anterior descending artery so that blood flow to the heart is restored. Arteries are hidden by epicardial fat.

The end of the left internal mammary artery is sutured laterally to the left anterior descending artery. This forms the first bypass shunt.

The position of the first performed shunt. The end of the lower part of the left internal mammary artery - a blood vessel with a diameter of 3 mm - is completely sutured to the left anterior descending artery.

10:22 Second bypass

The second bypass shunt is sutured with the upper end to the aorta, and with the lower end to the right posterior descending artery. The transverse clamp is removed, blood flow through the heart is restored.

The upper end of the venous shunt is connected to the aorta. Part of the aorta is isolated with an arcuate clamp and a hole is made into which a vein is sutured.

End of both bypass processes. The second shunt, shown on the left side of the diagram, is formed from the saphenous vein of the leg.

11:18 Chest closure

Circulation is restored, the heart contracts after an electric shock with the transition from ventricular fibrillation to sinus mode. Two drains are installed in the anterior and posterior parts of the heart. The blood thinning effect of heparin was eliminated by the drug protamine. The surgeon sews the separated halves of the sternum together. The skin will be closed with an internal absorbable suture.

The nurse applies tape to the suture and to the drainage tubes leading from the patient's chest. Soon the patient will be placed in the intensive care unit, where he will be observed.

The human body. Outside and inside. №1 2008

How are operations performed?

An operation is an intervention in the human body with a violation of its integrity. Each disease requires an individual approach, which naturally affects the way the operation is performed.

How heart surgery is done: preparation for surgery

Heart surgery (cardiac surgery) is one of the most difficult to perform, dangerous and responsible type of surgical intervention.

Planned operations are usually carried out in the morning. Therefore, the patient is not allowed to eat or drink in the evening (for 8-10 hours), and immediately before the operation, a cleansing enema is made. This is necessary in order for the anesthesia to work as it should.

The place where operations are performed must be sterile. In medical institutions, special rooms are used for these purposes - operating rooms, which are regularly sterilized by quartz treatment and special antiseptics. In addition, all medical personnel who take part in the operation wash themselves before the procedure (you even have to rinse your mouth with an antiseptic solution), and also change into special sterile clothes, put on sterile gloves on your hands.

The patient is also put on shoe covers, a cap on his head, and the operation field is treated with an antiseptic. If necessary, before the operation, the patient's hair is shaved if the surgical field is covered with it. All these manipulations are necessary to avoid infection of the surgical wound with bacteria or other dangerous active microorganisms.

Narcosis or anesthesia

Anesthesia is a general anesthesia of the body with its immersion in drug-induced sleep. During surgical interventions on the heart, general anesthesia is used, and in some cases, during endovideosurgical operations, spinal anesthesia, in which a puncture is made into the spinal cord at the level of the lower back. Substances that cause pain relief can be administered in various ways - intravenously, through the respiratory tract (inhalation anesthesia), intramuscularly or in combination.

Course of open heart surgery

After the person goes into medical sleep and ceases to feel pain, the operation itself begins. The surgeon uses a scalpel to open the skin and soft tissues on the chest. Cardiac surgery may also require an “opening” of the chest. To do this, with the help of special surgical instruments, the ribs are sawn. Thus, doctors “get” to the operated organ and put special dilators on the wound, which provide better access to the heart. Junior medical staff, using suction, removes blood from the surgical field, and also cauterizes cut capillaries and blood vessels so that they do not bleed.

If necessary, the patient is connected to an artificial heart machine, which will temporarily pump blood through the body, while the operated organ is artificially suspended. Depending on what kind of heart surgery is performed (what kind of damage is eliminated), appropriate manipulations are carried out: it can be the replacement of blocked coronary arteries, the replacement of heart valves in case of defects, vein bypass surgery or the replacement of an entire organ.

Extreme care is required from the surgeon and all staff, as the life of the patient depends on it. It should also be added that during the operation, blood pressure and some other indicators are constantly monitored, which indicate the patient's condition.

Endovideosurgery: stenosis and angioplasty

Today, more and more often, heart surgery is performed not by an open method - with a chest incision, but with access through the femoral artery on the leg, under the control of an X-ray machine and a microscopic video camera. After preparing for operation, which is similar for all types of surgical interventions, and putting the patient into a medical sleep, access to the femoral artery is opened through an incision in the leg. A catheter and a probe with a video camera at the end are inserted into it, thanks to which access to the heart is provided.

In this way, angioplasty with stenosis of blood vessels is carried out in cardiac surgery, which is necessary for blockage of the coronary vessels that feed the heart itself with blood. Special stands are installed in the narrowed vessels - cylindrical implants that do not allow the arteries to clog anymore, which prevents the possibility of developing coronary disease.

After the main part of the operation is over and the heart is on its own again functions, stitching of damaged nerves, vessels and tissues is performed. The wound is again treated with an antiseptic, the surgical field is closed, soft tissues and skin are sutured with special threads. A medical bandage is applied to the external wound. After the end of all these procedures, the patient is taken out of anesthesia.

Other types of transactions

In addition to the abdominal operations described above, there are also operations performed in a less traumatic way:

Laparoscopy - is performed using a laparoscope, which is inserted through 1-2 cm incisions in the skin. Most often used in gynecology, gastrectomy and other operations in the abdominal cavity. You can read more about this
Laser surgery - is carried out using a special laser beam. Usually, operations are performed in this way on the eyes, when removing skin formations, etc. You can read more about the method