One of the most performed heart surgery for men is heart bypass surgery. Heart bypass surgery is advised by doctors when a blood vessel, which is responsible for transporting blood to the heart muscle, becomes blocked. The procedure is considered extremely delicate, which requires extensive preparation and recovery time, and the main goal is to improve the flow of the blood the heart.

Heart failure and heart attack are the two major risks that are involved with blocked arteries, and any continued restriction will create difficulty in giving the muscle the amount of oxygen they need. Generally, according to doctors’ recommendation and the number of blocked arteries, there are different heart bypass surgeries that patients may require to undergo:

• Single bypass surgery: This procedure is performed when only one artery is blocked.
• Double bypass: This procedure is performed when two arteries are blocked.  
• Triple bypass: This procedure is performed when three arteries are blocked.  
• Quadruple bypass: This procedure is performed when four arteries are blocked.  
• Patens should know that the more blocked arteries, the higher the chances of having a heart attack, heart failure, or another cardiac issue.

The notion of a blocked artery is that some substances called plaque will become accumulated around the arteries wall, which will result in poor circulation of blood flow to the heart muscle. When the heart does not receive enough oxygen, the coronary arteries will become narrow, and the heart becomes exhausted, which in this case heart bypass surgery is recommended.  

In recent years, more surgeries have become available for patients who need to have bypass heart surgery. Below, a few of alternative procedures to heart bypass surgery will be explained.

Balloon angioplasty:  In this procedure, a tube will be guided toward the blocked arteries, and to widen the artery a balloon will be inflated. The risk of this procedure is less than bypass surgery; however, it is not as effective as bypass surgery.

Medication: In some cases, doctors recommend taking medication before undergoing bypass surgery. Medication like aspirin can help in preventing heart attacks.

Diet and lifestyle changes: A healthy lifestyle is the best preventive measure heart problems, eating foods that have low fat can have a huge impact on the health of the heart.

This is a kind of procedure that should be followed precisely by the doctor’s instruction. Generally, before the surgery begins, several tests, including blood tests, chest X-rays, electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), and angiogram, will be taken.

All patients are required to change their clothes and put on the hospital gown. After that, the patient will be given anesthesia to sleep during the bypass surgery.  When the doctor is confident that the patient has fallen asleep, he or she will make a small incision in the middle of the chest. In order for your heart to be exposed, the rib cage will be spread apart. In some circumstances, patients may receive oxygen through an oxygen machine which will help with the blood circulation.

For the next step, a healthy blood vessel will be removed from the leg to bypass the blocked arteries, the end of one section will be attached above the area where the blockage has occurred and the other part just below the blockage.

For the final part, the function of the bypass will be checked, and if the bypass is working correctly, the patients, after closing the incision and will be taken to the Intensive care unit (ICU).

Patients will likely stay for one or two days at the hospital and then will be moved to another section. Full recovery for patients who had bypass surgery usually takes between 6 to 12 weeks. In addition, patients should notify doctors if they experience the following symptoms:

If patients have a fever over 100.4°F (38°C)

If there is extreme pain in the chest

If patients have a rapid heart rate

If there are some rednesses or discharge around the incision area.

Following bypass surgery, patients who have had symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, and high blood pressure will likely improve.

Iran has managed to take huge steps in ensuring that patients who travel to Iran form other countries are offered the best choice of treatment. Iran hospitals are benefiting from cutting edge technologies relating to assistance in the accurate diagnosis. More importantly, among many procedures that are performed in Iran, heart bypass surgery is considered a crucial treatment with an average of 30 to 40 thousand procedures. In Iran, coronary artery bypass procedures are prevalent operation for men who may be suffering from the risk of heart failure. Iranian cardiologists are experts in their field and are graduates from some of the top universities in Iran, The USA, and Europe, and this has made many foreign patients follow their medical treatment.  Furthermore, heart bypass surgery in Iran can be regarded as a suitable choice of medical destination due to the cost affordability of treatment and surgeries and the skilled specialists and surgeons.