Heart Failure Surgery

Overview and Facts about Heart Failure Surgery

Heart failure surgery is a blanket term that includes any surgical procedure performed in the treatment of a heart no longer capable of pumping an adequate supply of oxygenated blood throughout the body.

Heart failure has many causes—including diseases or birth defects of the heart or blood vessels—and surgery aims to correct the underlying condition or the damage. Cardiac surgery includes percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass, aortic valve repair, or replacement.

Transplantation is done in the most severe cases of heart damage. Treatment might also include the surgical implantation of a medical device intended to assist in the pumping and beating of the heart.

What to Expect during Heart Failure Surgery

Depending on the cause or extent of the damage, surgery to treat a failing heart can be minimally invasive or open heart. Several treatments are completed through the insertion and threading of a catheter or a heart-assistive device’s lead wires through a blood vessel and into the heart. Other less invasive procedures require one or more small incisions to the chest.

Many heart failure surgeries, however, do require the opening of the patient’s chest. You may be sedated under general anesthesia during the procedure or you may remain awake. If you are not sedated, you will be given intravenous (IV) medication to relax you and a local anesthetic to numb the area to be operated on. Sedated or not, you will remain comfortable and pain-free throughout the procedure.

Open heart surgery typically requires the use of a heart-lung machine—a device used to circulate oxygenated blood throughout your body while your heart is stopped—though an “off-pump” technique may be used to keep the heart beating during surgery.

After the surgery, you will spend a day or so in the intensive care unit (ICU). In the hospital, your doctor and nurses will closely monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and incision site. Tubes in your chest will remain for several days following your surgery to drain any fluid around your heart.

Before you are discharged, your care team will give you detailed information on continuing the recovery process at home. These instructions will help you care for your incision, give advice on how to stick to your cardiac rehabilitation plan and how to take all post surgery medications as prescribed.

What are the Side Effects of Heart Failure Surgery?

Side effects of heart failure surgery are common and predictable. Most people recovering from cardiac surgery gradually begin to feel better within four to six weeks. Side effects may include:

• Appetite loss
• Chest pain
• Constipation
• Discomfort or pain at the incision site
• Pain in your shoulders or back
• Trouble sleeping

What are the Risks of Heart Failure Surgery?

Risks associated with heart failure surgery may vary depending on the type of surgery. However, certain complications are possible with any procedure performed on the heart. Risks include:

• Bleeding
• Blood clots
• Damage to the tissue of the heart, kidneys, liver or lungs
• Heart attack
• Infection or inflammation
• Irregular heartbeat
• Stroke