All you wanted to know about beating heart bypass operation!

All​ ​You​ ​Wanted​ ​To​ ​Know​ ​About "Beating​ ​Heart"​ ​Bypass​ ​Operation!

Bypass​ ​operation​ ​on​ ​(then)​ ​Prime​ ​Minister​ ​Dr.​ ​Manmohan​ ​Singh​​ ​occupied​ ​the​ ​headlines​ ​for some​ ​time.​ ​Dr.​ ​Singh​ ​made​ ​a​ ​rapid​ ​recovery​ ​and​ ​is​ ​back​ ​on​ ​the​ ​main​ ​stage.​ ​The​ ​event​ ​has brought​ ​the​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​most​ ​successful​ ​and​ ​rapidly​ ​evolving​ ​surgical​ ​procedures​ ​of Modern​ ​medicine.​ ​It​ ​has​ ​also​ ​raised​ ​the​ ​question​ ​about​ ​the​ ​safety​ ​and​ ​benefits​ ​of​ B ​ eating​ ​Heart bypass​ ​operation​​ ​as​ ​compared​ ​to​ ​the​ ​conventional​ ​one.

©​ ​2017​ ​Heart​ ​and​ ​Aorta​​ ​All​ ​Rights​ ​Reserved

What​ ​is​ ​Beating​ ​Heart​ ​(or​ ​Off-pump)​ ​Bypass Operation?

Traditionally​ ​bypass​ ​operation​ ​or​ ​CABG​ ​(Coronary​ ​Artery​ ​Bypass​ ​Grafting)​ ​is​ ​done​ ​using​ ​the help​ ​of​ ​Heart​ ​Lung​ ​Bypass​ ​(CPB​ ​or​ ​Cardio-pulmonary​ ​Bypass)​ ​machine.​ ​This​ ​machine​ ​does what​ ​heart​ ​and​ ​lungs​ ​do​ ​normally​ ​in​ ​the​ ​body.​ ​It​ ​gives​ ​Oxygen​ ​to​ ​the​ ​blood,​ ​takes​ ​away Carbon-dioxide​ ​from​ ​it​ ​and​ ​pumps​ ​the​ ​blood​ ​to​ ​all​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​body.​ ​This​ ​enables​ ​surgeon​ ​to stop​ ​the​ ​heart​ ​and​ ​make​ ​it​ ​bloodless.​ ​Complicated​ ​surgical​ ​procedures​ ​can​ ​thus​ ​be​ ​performed safely​ ​and​ ​with​ ​greater​ ​precision.​ ​However​ ​the​ ​CPB​ ​machine​ ​is​ ​not​ ​without​ ​its​ ​share​ ​of​ ​dangers.

As​ ​the​ ​blood​ ​comes​ ​in​ ​contact​ ​with​ ​the​ ​tubes​ ​and​ ​the​ ​pumps​ ​of​ ​the​ ​machine,​ ​the​ ​body​ ​systems recognize​ ​it​ ​as​ ​a​ ​‘foreign​ ​atmosphere’​ ​and​ ​reacts​ ​to​ ​it.​ ​This​ ​reaction​ ​can​ ​create​ ​a​ ​variety​ ​of harmful​ ​effects​ ​on​ ​different​ ​organs​ ​and​ ​some​ ​of​ ​them​ ​can​ ​even​ ​be​ ​fatal.

©​ ​2017​ ​Heart​ ​and​ ​Aorta​​ ​All​ ​Rights​ ​Reserved

The​ ​idea​ ​to​ ​avoid​ ​CPB​ ​machine​ ​and​ ​its​ ​ill​ ​effects​ ​during​ ​CABG​ ​led​ ​to​ ​the​ ​concept​ ​of​ ​performing the​ ​operation​ ​on​ ​beating​ ​heart.​ ​Here​ ​the​ ​operation​ ​is​ ​done​ ​while​ ​the​ ​heart​ ​is​ ​still​ ​pumping​ ​and the​ ​lungs​ ​are​ ​working.​ ​So​ ​the​ ​support​ ​of​ ​CPB​ ​machine​ ​or​ ​‘the​ ​pump’​ ​is​ ​not​ ​required.​ ​Hence​ ​the name​ ​‘​Off-Pump​ ​Coronary​ ​Artery​ ​Bypass​ ​or​ ​OPCAB​’.​ ​It​ ​needs​ ​no​ ​great​ ​reasoning​ ​to understand​ ​that​ ​doing​ ​the​ ​same​ ​procedure​ ​when​ ​the​ ​target​ ​is​ ​in​ ​motion​ ​demands​ ​greater​ ​care, precision​ ​and​ ​skills.

©​ ​2017​ ​Heart​ ​and​ ​Aorta​​ ​All​ ​Rights​ ​Reserved