Heart bypass surgery is somewhat like highway construction work. If a rock slide blocks a highway, a new route can be constructed to reroute traffic flow around the blockage. The old road may never be opened again. It may remain blocked permanently, but traffic flow is restored fully.

Similarly, heart bypass surgery reroutes blood flow around blocked sections of arteries leading to the heart. The new routes are permanent - the old ones are never used again.

Heart bypass surgery is a common, effective procedure, but there can be difficulties. You should ask your cardiologist and heart surgeon to explain the potential complications of heart bypass surgery before undergoing the procedure.

Complications of Heart Bypass Surgery

Although the author is not a professional medical practitioner, personal experience has taught much about the complications of heart bypass surgery. Not everyone will experience them, of course, and those who experience one may not experience others.

When considering the complications of heart bypass surgery, it is important to remember that heart bypass surgery has been performed for 30+ years. Of those who have the surgery, 95 to 98 percent have no complications. Your surgeon will have received extensive training in heart bypass surgery. Discuss with your doctors the following potential complications of heart bypass surgery.

* Blood Clots: The process of heart bypass surgery may loosen blood clots, sending them to vital organs. Blood clots may also develop after heart bypass surgery.

* Death: Death occurs during or immediately after heart bypass surgery in one to two percent of those having the procedure. This is one of the complications of heart bypass surgery that is more likely in patients over 70 years of age.

* Heart Attack: Numerically among the greatest of complications of heart bypass surgery, heart attack occurs in about five percent of patients.

* Sternal Wound Infection: The chest cavity becomes infected from the operation. This complication, which occurs in one to four percent of patients, is most often associated with obesity, diabetes, or having had previous heart bypass surgery.

* Stroke: The last of the complications of heart bypass surgery we look at here is stroke. Like heart attack, stroke occurs in about five percent of patients having heart bypass surgery. It is more likely in patients who are 70 years old or more.

In Part 2 of this article, we will look at other complications of heart bypass surgery. This is the most frequently performed major surgery in the U.S., and the benefits often outweigh the risks. However, as with any surgery, your health before surgery is a major consideration.

CAUTION: This information is for educational purposes only. Your cardiologist (heart doctor) will help you decide whether heart bypass surgery is best for you. Please seek his or her advice.

Heart bypass surgery is increasingly used in the treatment of coronary heart disease, yet some believe it is unwarranted. A few believe it is not only unwarranted, but is in fact a swindle - a racket to make doctors rich.

Don’t get bypass surgery; it is fraud, they say. Those who say it, however, have usually not experienced it. Or, having experienced bypass surgery, they have failed to follow their doctor’s instructions and have experienced complications.

Don’t Get Bypass Surgery; It Is Fraud?

My husband had coronary artery bypass surgery. In the 15 years prior to his surgery, he had been advised four times to have it or face death. During those 15 years, we read numerous reports, descriptions, and medical articles on bypass surgery. We learned about the risks - and there are definite risks. We learned about the benefits - and there are benefits to be had.

The difficulty came in trying to determine which outweighed the other: risks or benefits.

Benefits of Bypass Surgery

The benefits of bypass surgery were that he would no longer have the chest pain (angina pectoris). Chest pain had kept him from many normal activities, including walking more than 10 to 15 feet at a time. Bypass surgery would allow blood to flow freely, supplying the heart with needed oxygen. He would be able to return to walking, and most normal daily activities.

Risks of Bypass Surgery

The risks of by pass surgery were frightening, and included at least the following dire consequences:

* 3 to 4 percent chance of dying as a result of bypass surgery
* 5 to 10 percent chance of dying of a heart attack during or following bypass surgery
* 1 to 2 percent chance of dying of a stroke during or following bypass surgery
* 5 percent chance of additional surgery due to bleeding
* lung complications
* chest infection

Did He Listen to Nay Sayers?

Don’t get bypass surgery; it is fraud, said some alternative medicine voices. My husband did not listen. After 15 years of pain, worry, and debate with himself, he decided to have the recommended bypass surgery. That was 7 years ago. He underwent the surgery, and recuperated quickly and fully.

The result? He can do things he had not done for years. He no longer carries nitroglycerin pills or spray. He no longer wears a nitroglycerin patch. He walks where he wants to, and enjoys life.

Fraud or Resolution of a Problem?

Is bypass surgery fraud or the resolution of a problem? Judging by personal experience, bypass surgery is not a fraud. There are fraudulent surgeons in every corner of the globe, and one such may fail to perform the surgery effectively. There are age differences that affect bypass surgery. The body sustains any surgery better at a younger age. A stronger heart muscle and lack of other medical issues are also factors. Bypass surgery itself is not, however, a fraud.

CAUTION: This information is presented for educational purposes only. Please discuss bypass surgery with your physician, research it carefully, and get all the facts from licensed health care providers.

What are the signs of a heart attack? Do you know them? Suppose one of your colleagues at work began to experience one or more of the signs. Suppose a spouse or other loved one showed 3 signs of a heart attack. Suppose you began to have heart attack symptoms.

What are the signs of a heart attack? It is important to know them, and to know what to do when you see or feel them.

Signs of Heart Attack

Heart attacks sometimes happen suddenly and dramatically. In such cases, both the victim and those around know exactly what is happening.

Most heart attacks, however, are not dramatic. They begin slowly. The victim may feel mild pain or simply a vague discomfort. He or she may have no idea what is wrong. If they knew these signs of a heart attack, they could call for emergency help before it was too late.

So what are the signs of a heart attack?

1. Chest discomfort or pain: Most people who are experiencing a heart attack sense discomfort or pain in the center of the chest. The pain continues for more than a few minutes. Sometimes, the pain stops, and then returns. Some people describe this sign of heart attack as feeling like too much pressure, as though an elephant had stepped on the chest. Some say it is a squeezing feeling, much like a vice tightening around the chest. Still others say the chest feels full or hurts.

2. Shortness of breath: With this sign of heart attack, you may or may not have chest discomfort or pain.

3. Other discomfort or pain: An often misunderstood sign of heart attack is the pain or discomfort felt in other upper body parts. This might be pain or an uncomfortable feeling in one or both arms. The victim may complain of the back, neck, or jaw hurting. Even pain or discomfort in the stomach can be a sign of heart attack.

4. Other signs: In addition to the 3 signs of heart attack above, the heart attack victim may have other signs. There may be lightheadedness or nausea, with or without vomiting. The victim may break into a cold sweat.

Get Help Immediately!

What are the signs of a heart attack? Chest discomfort, with or without one or more of the other signs above. If you or someone you are with experiences these signs, get help immediately. Wait no longer than 5 minutes at most. Calling 9-1-1 is almost always better than trying to drive to a hospital.