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Open-Heart Bypass Surgery
As per a report published in the Deccan Herald in 2019, India has witnessed a steady rise in mortality resulting from cardiovascular diseases – from 1.3 million to 2.8 million between 1990 and 2016. Despite such discouraging figures, according to studies conducted by the WHO, about 80% of heart diseases and strokes can be prevented through timely action. In this regard, the advent of open-heart bypass surgery has certainly been extremely fortifying.
With extraordinary technological progress in the medical field, such surgeries have started noting a high success rate. Furthermore, the introduction of financial support like health card online facilities has also made such procedures affordable and accessible to the general populace.
Nonetheless, due to the invasive nature of open-heart surgeries, many patients seek alternative procedures to treat their ailments. Following is a look into the success rate of bypass surgeries and alternative options that patients can consider in its place to treat their conditions.
What does an open-heart bypass surgery entail?
Open heart surgery encompasses any procedure which involves cutting open the patient’s chest for surgical intervention on his/her heart’s arteries, valves, or muscles.
Among the various types of open-heart surgical procedures performed on adults, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the most common one. CABG involves grafting a healthy vein or artery to a blocked coronary artery to ease the flow of fresh blood to the heart. The recovery rate from CABG is quite high and is pegged to be around 98%.
Nonetheless, there can be instances wherein the surgery can bear a certain degree of risk. For instance, the chances of complications are higher if the surgery is carried out on an emergency basis or if the patient has other conditions like – diabetes, emphysema, kidney disease or peripheral artery disease.
What are the alternative options to treat heart blockage?
In the past decade, a remarkable progression of the medical field has bolstered the availability of alternative treatment procedures which can be utilised to treat blocked arteries, instead of CABG.
Furthermore, the availability of health cards online has made it easier to incur the expenses of such procedures, even if they are not covered under a regular health insurance policy.
Few of these treatments include –
- Coronary balloon angioplasty
This is the most common alternative to CABG and is not as invasive. Balloon angioplasty involves threading in a tube to the blocked artery and inflating a balloon to widen it. A stent is then put in place to keep the artery from contracting back to its previous state.
- Medications
Doctors often recommend medications to treat heart blockages instead of surgical intervention. For instance, stable angina can be relieved by beta-blockers, while medications for controlling cholesterol can be used to prevent the build-up of plaque in your arteries, etc.
- EECP
EECP or Enhanced External Counterpulsation is often used as a non-surgical way to treat heart blockages. Under this procedure, the patient’s blood vessels in his/her lower limbs are compressed to increase blood flow to the heart. This procedure takes place over the course of seven weeks and is also referred to as “natural bypass”.
- Alterations in diet
Including ample omega-3 fatty acids and reducing the intake of saturated and trans fat is often recommended to patients with blocked arteries. However, this can only work well before the condition becomes severe.
Now, such treatment procedures can include hefty expenses and might not come under the purview of your medical insurance. In this regard, one can utilise a Bajaj Health Card to make bearing such expenses easier.
What is a health card?
A Health EMI Network Card is a financial tool which allows users to convert their medical bills into smaller, more easily payable instalments. This card can be used at any hospital, diagnostic care centre, pharmacies, etc., to convert medical bills generated into easy EMIs, which can be paid over a tenor of the user’s choice.
Such cards come with a pre-approved limit of Rs.4 lakh, which allows individuals to bear the expense of any cost-intensive procedure with ease.
Furthermore, the benefits of a single health card extend to cover the cardholder’s entire family, thus making it easier to bear medical expenses efficiently.
