Dr. Vivek Baliga B

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) is a traditional and well established surgical procedure for treating diseases in the coronary artery. The process is carried out by using blood vessels alternately (vein or artery). Initially, CABG was performed by using the left internal mammary artery and saphenous vein. It was observed that the chance of occlusion in the vein grafts was much higher than the arterial grafts. In the last decade, total arterial grafting, which uses all the arterial conduits, is being practiced as CABG for better results.

Types of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

1. Traditional Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: In this type of CABG, the surgeon will initially open up the chest bone to gain access to the heart. The heart is stopped using medications and the body is connected to a heart-lung bypass machine to circulate oxygen and blood throughout the body.
2. Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting: In this surgery, small incisions are made on the left portion of the chest to gain access to the heart. This surgery is used to bypass the blood vessels present in the front portion of the heart.
3. Off-pump Coronary artery bypass grafting: In this procedure, the chest bone is opened up to access the heart. Here, however, the heart is not stopped during the surgery.

Patients, who have been suffering since a long time and have been operated on the vein grafts, have a chance of re-developing certain artery diseases such as a heart attack. To counter this possibility, surgeons have started using the method of Total Artery CABG. In this procedure, the left and right internal mammary arteries are used from the chest and the radial artery, from the fore arm for the surgery.

The main advantages of this procedure are:

1. The survival rate is higher in total artery CABG as compared to the traditional CABG.
2. It comes with long term benefits
3. The procedure is safe as well as feasible

Surviving a heart attack may not be easy and if you’ve had one, it’s not unusual for you to feel worried and overwhelmed at the same time. Quite understandably, you would want to return home to your near and dear ones, and indulge in your usual activities as soon as possible. But in order to make sure you’re in the best of health and spirit, you would need to follow certain guidelines after a heart attack. Although you might start feeling better in a couple of weeks, you should not rush into things or push yourself too soon. Here’s a list post-treatment guidelines on how to maintain a healthy risk-free life so that you don’t have a relapse.

1. Quit smoking- Smoking tobacco damages the walls of your blood vessels, preventing blood and oxygen from reaching your heart and other organs. It can lead to clotting of blood in your system and thereby increase the chances of another heart attack. So if you’re a smoker, it’s time you quit smoking and even restrain from passive smoking. If you find it difficult to cope with the problem, consult your doctor as he may be able to help you by providing alternatives to tobacco like nicotine gum.
2. Control the risk factors- High blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes- these are some of the most common and probable risk factors for a heart attack. In order to manage these conditions, you will need to change your diet. The food you eat affects the flow of blood in your system, so include food items that are low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Cut down on processed and fried food, sodium and salt. Consume less high-fat dairy products and red meat, and switch to green veggies and fruits, and fish.
3. Exercising can help- Although it may sound hectic after a major surgery, but engaging in some sort of exercise actually helps your heart pump blood and delivers oxygen to your body effectively. Since being obese or overweight increases the chances for a heart attack, you must keep your body weight in check. Any sort of exercise such as jogging, walking, running or swimming can help you lose weight, and lower the risk. However, before you start exercising you should consult a doctor so that they can monitor your condition and keep a track of your heart.

Recovering from a heart attack does not end with you surviving one. Heart attacks can be very stressful and upsetting. You will need to fight stress and depression even after the recovery. Go for some therapy or join a cardiac rehab that will arrange for programs run by medical professionals and doctors. Along with lifestyle changes, these programs help control your stress levels.

Tachycardia is the medical term of a fast heart rate. When a person’s heart beats for more than 100 times per minute, he/she is said to be suffering from tachycardia. Atria and Ventricles (both left and right) are the four major parts of the heart. They contract and expand so that blood can be pumped out of the heart and oxygen reaches all the organs of the body. Now, this pumping occurs at a stable pace, owing to electrical impulses that activate the pumping in the first place. When an underlying medical condition or a defect in the heart disrupts these electrical impulses a person is confronted with tachycardia.

Symptoms
In many people, no symptoms are observed until and unless it is detected by a blood pressure device or a tool that checks the pulse rate. But if the heart rate is significantly high a person might feel dizzy, fatigued. He/she can also suffer from shortness of breath, palpitation as well as chest pain.

When the heart beats faster than usual the oxygen in the body gets depleted, which can result in the death of myocardial cells, leading to heart attack.

Causes
Heart diseases like coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, heart muscle disease, tumors or infection can lead to increased rate of heart beat. Apart from that, other conditions that might lead to tachycardia are: stress, hormonal disorders, especially in case one is suffering from hyperthyroidism, blood loss etc.

Treatment

Medications
If there is an underlying medical defect that is causing the increased heart rate in the first place, it needs to be treated. For example, if a person is suffering from hyperthyroidism then medicines are prescribed to regulate the function of the thyroid glands.

If tachycardia develops as a result of weakened heart muscle then medicines are given to strengthen the heart. Beta blockers are given to check the defective electrical impulse in the heart, if that is the cause of tachycardia. Depending on the condition of the patient anti-arrhythmic medicines might also be given. People who stand at a risk of receiving a stroke as a result of this condition are prescribed warfarin.

Surgery and Implantation

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator
This procedure involves the insertion of an artificial device in the heart that controls the heart rate. It is equipped to send an electrical shock whenever it detects defective electrical impulse in the heart. In other words, it is designed to mechanically deflect the erroneous impulse.

Surgery
If medications fail to rectify the disorder, a surgery has to be performed. In this case a section of the heart tissue is removed through operation. The scar that is left by the operation controls defective electrical impulse as a scar tissue is affirmed to be a bad conductor of electricity.  In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

A heart attack and Cardiac Arrest may sound like terms that have the same medical meaning. They are not. While a heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is blocked, a cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops to beat. You might want to know the causes behind the conditions and the symptoms and signs that one may experience. Read on to know about them.

What is a heart attack and what is a cardiac arrest?
When the flow of blood towards the heart gets blocked, a heart attack occurs. This may be due to a clot in the arteries or plaque buildup on the walls of the arteries. A sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the affected individual's heart malfunctions as well as it stops to beat all of a sudden.

Thus, it is evident that heart attack is actually a circulation problem whereas cardiac arrest is an electrical problem. During a heart attack, blood rich in oxygen is not allowed to reach a particular part of the heart because of a blocked artery. If quick treatment is not done for reopening the blocked artery, then that specific section of the heart which receives nourishment from that artery tends to die.

In cardiac arrest, as the heart stops beating unexpectedly, so organs like brain, lungs, etc. also stop receiving blood. It results in a sudden fall in blood pressure as well as the circulatory system tends to collapse. Usually, the affected individual loses consciousness because the flow of blood to the brain decreases. Death might follow if emergency treatment is not carried out immediately.

Quite like the conditions are different, the symptoms are also different. Here are some of the most common symptoms of both heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest. It will assist you in understanding that both these health issues are different.

Symptoms of a heart attack:
Pressure or pain in abdomen or chest, trouble breathing, sweating, dizziness, chest tightening feeling, pain that spreads to arm or jaw, losing unconsciousness, heart palpitation, etc. are some of the basic signs. According to studies, nearly one-thirds of the heart attack patients do not undergo chest pain during heart attacks.

Particularly women experience atypical symptoms other than the ones that are mentioned above. Few of them include gastric pain, vomiting, nausea, breathing problem without any chest pain, getting unconscious, etc.

Symptoms of Cardiac Arrest:
Collapse, dizziness, trouble in breathing, chest pain, blue discoloration of face, etc. are the most common sudden cardiac arrest's signs. A huge number of people who experience cardiac arrest do not experience any symptoms at all.

Though both heart attack and cardiac arrest are linked to each other some way or the other, yet they are different. However, both the conditions need immediate medical assistance, an absence of which may prove fatal.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

There are many different types of noise one may hear in an office. This includes people talking, phones ringing, construction sounds, etc. Complaining about noise in the office can seem silly. However, continuous exposure to noise can affect a person’s mental and physical health. It is not good for the company wither as working in noisy conditions can affect productivity in terms of the worker’s ability to concentrate on tasks and the quality of work being done.

Noise and Health Risks
When talking about noise, the first health effect that comes to mind is a loss of hearing. In many cases, prolonged exposure to noisy conditions can permanently damage hearing. Noise also affects blood pressure levels and can cause sudden spikes. Noise also affects a person’s cholesterol levels. In addition, it can make simple tasks stressful. It can also lead to mental issues such as moodiness, depression and anxiety.

Noise and the Heart
Working in a noisy atmosphere can double a person’s risk of suffering from heart disease. High cholesterol levels caused by noise can thicken artery walls and reduce the amount of space available for blood flow. When combined with high blood pressure, this can have a disastrous effect. It can lead to the rupturing of blood vessels or can cause blood clots to be formed. Studies have also shown that people exposed to loud noise at work are more likely to smoke. This in turn further increases the risk of heart disease.

Protecting the Heart
Some noises in an office can be controlled while others cannot. For example, an office may set a rule for all phones to ring at a low volume. However, nothing much can be done about construction sounds. Hence, it is important to be proactive in protecting yourself from the noise. An easy way to do this is by wearing protective hearing devices such as earmuffs or earplugs. When playing music through such devices, it is important to regulate the volume it is being played at. One should also not listen to music continuously through these devices. Devices that create white noise can also be beneficial. For example, the humming of a fan can block out other unwanted sounds. Workers experiencing hearing loss should consult a doctor at the earliest. This can help prevent further loss of hearing and lower stress levels that in turn keep the heart healthier. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Almost everyone these days is familiar with headaches. The throbbing pain that invades your headspace when you are in the middle of your meeting or work – where you need to focus. It is unforgiving and a big nuisance.

Mostly common conditions like fatigue, lack of sleep, stress, sinus and migraine cause pain in the head. But recent studies show that high blood pressure, or what is commonly known as hypertension, may also lead to severe headaches. Most of the time high blood pressure do not exhibit any symptoms and hence is referred to as ‘the silent killer’. More often than not people do not even realize how a mild headache can be a result of hypertension.

The Link between Hypertension and Headaches
Hypertension or high blood pressure usually occurs when the force of the blood flow in the arteries increase. A headache resulting from high blood pressure usually affects both sides of the head, particularly the temple regions. One major and common cause of high blood pressure is stress. Although people may not be able to find a relationship between the two, one may experience mild but steady pain throughout the head particularly in the forehead or at the back of the head.

In high blood pressure, a palpitating sensation in the temple region often accompanies the sensation of pain in the head. Pain in the temple region is usually accompanied by mild headaches for which you should seek medical attention. Hypertensive emergency is normally considered when the blood pressure reaches above 180/110. Besides headaches, high blood pressure can also take a serious toll on your health leading to stroke or heart attack, if not treated on time.

There are three types of hypertension conditions that are followed by mild to severe headaches:

1. Malignant Hypertension- Sudden or rapid increase in blood pressure causes malignant hypertension, which requires medical attention. This is more common among young adults and women with pregnancy-induced high blood pressure.
2. Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension- This condition is characterized by increased blood pressure around the brain and is commonly diagnosed with symptoms like vision problems, shoulder pain, thumping noise in the ears, nausea, and severe headaches almost every day.
3. Hypertensive Encephalopathy- An extreme version of elevated blood pressure, can cause swelling in the brain, severe headaches that may worsen, nausea, dizziness, seizures and even coma.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can be deadly, and is more common among smokers and older people. The condition can be controlled by adopting certain dietary measures- diet rich in vegetables and fruits, but low in fat, salt, sugary and sweetened beverages, and red meat. However, with proper medications and a balanced diet, one may be able to keep their blood pressure in check. Once the blood pressure normalizes, the headache also disappears in no time.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!