CABG & Heart Disease

Heart disease is a complex disease that includes several different conditions. It is the number one killer in the United States and more than 650,000 people die each year from it. Some of the conditions are coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, congenital birth defects, congestive heart failure and infections. However, when speaking of heart disease, most people think of narrowing of the arteries of the heart, which is coronary artery disease. The surgical treatment for this condition is called a coronary artery bypass grafting, or CABG.

Causes

• The causes of coronary artery disease, or CAD, are high amounts of sugar in the bloodstream, high blood pressure that's not controlled, smoking, and an unhealthy diet full of fats and cholesterol. All of these things cause damage to the and arteries. Once the damage occurs the body tries to heal itself and produces plaque during the process. The plaque in turn narrows the arteries and makes it difficult for the blood to pass through.

Symptoms

• The most common symptoms of CAD are on-and-off chest pain and shortness of breath while exercising or with activity. These are the two symptoms that usually alert a person that they need to seek medical assistance. Some other symptoms that might be present are dizziness, being weak, nausea and sweating. If the chest pain is constant and does not go away, then this would indicate a heart attack.

Treatments

• The surgical treatment for this condition is called a coronary artery bypass grafting, or CABG. Once the arteries are blocked or narrowed, it is necessary to perform a CABG to restore blood flow. A vein or artery is taken from another part of the body and grafted to the heart. The vein or artery then bypasses or goes around the blocked portion of the artery to restore the blood flow. As a result of this, surgery oxygen rich blood can flow to the heart again.

Risks

• Major risk factors are the age, gender, race and heredity. Men and women over the age of 65 are at higher risk. Men also are more likely to have heart disease than women. If a person has a family history of the disease they are also very susceptible and usually develop it. Lastly, African Americans, Mexican Americans and Indian Americans have a higher risk due to the increase in high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

Prevention/Solution

• In order to prevent CAD, a lifestyle change needs to occur. Eating a healthy diet low in fat and cholesterol will help prevent high blood pressure from developing. Daily exercise of at least 30 minutes a day will greatly reduce the cholesterol levels in your body. Stopping smoking will drastically cut the risk of CAD, and after 15 years of no use, it will be as if you never smoked. Also, if medications have been prescribed for high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, then being compliant with the daily doses will help decrease risk.