The unfortunate reality is that you or someone you know will probably see a cardiac surgeon for treatment at some point throughout your lifetime. Cardiac surgery is a serious procedure, and one that a plethora of people have done every year.
Conditions such as heart disease and heart failure are currently some of the most common among human beings on this planet. Approximately one out of every four deaths in the United States (610,000 every year) are attributed to heart disease alone. Add to that the fact that 735,000 Americans suffer a heart attack every year and it’s safe to say business will be booming for cardiac surgery for some time.
Here are three potential risk factors that you should be aware of whether you’re going to see a cardiologist sometime in the near future or not.
- Readmission: Readmission is literally when you are put back in the hospital immediately following a surgical procedure or treatment. This is relatively common for cardiac surgery when compared to other procedures. About 18.5% of patients who had a heart valve procedure in 2010 were readmitted into the hospital within 30 days.
There are nay number of reasons why you may be readmitted for complications, which is why what you do and how you monitor your health after the cardiac surgery is as important as before/during. - Postperfusion Syndrome: Also known as, “pumphead” is a constellation of neurocognitive impairments that can occur during cardiac surgery. It can be difficult to diagnose this condition right after the procedure as the symptoms are often subtle and not things that will put your immediate health in jeopardy, fortunately. Having difficulty with attention, concentration, and short term memory are some of the common ones.
- Neuropsychological and Psychopathologic: These sort of conditions have been associated with heart surgery since virtually its inception. Russian scientist Victor Skumin coined the term Skumin syndrome in 1978 to classify, “cardioprosthetic psychopathological syndrome.” For various reasons the human body can have reactions to heart surgery that leave the patient with things like anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.
Heart disease affects millions of people every day and costs over $320 billion in direct and indirect costs. It’s, obviously, best to avoid the potential to even need cardiac surgery, but if you do it’s good to know some of the things you should be prepared for.