Quad Bypass

[Rupertthedog]

How safe is a bypass.We presume to live a healthier lifestyle after a bypass but what are the facts and what can we expect from them

[shopman]

I had a quad bypass way back in Feb 1999 - more than 20 years ago, still here to tell the tale. Told originally it would last on average 7 years, it was 2015 when it started to fail. Been back 3 times for stents since. Seems safe enough to me.

[Gail1967 in reply to shopman]

That’s a good news story- did you make any specific changes to your lifestyle that you feel then kept you going beyond the original 7 years?

[Maisie2014]

My uncle had one in 1977 when he was in his forties. He died in 2016 and only finished working a couple of years earlier.

[Dractrek]

I’m hoping it’s very safe 😄 I’m 12 wks in from a quintuple bypass after a cardiac arrest. The main thing I’ve noticed is the old energy levels are low, but I’m assured they get better. Which I do hope so as before all this I was cycling about 260 miles a week so far I’ve managed 3 😱.

[Douglas91 in reply to Dractrek]

you will be fine I’m sure. Heart surgery is so much safer than it once was. In fact CABG is so routine these days that cardiac surgeons perform these operations every day with little or no risk to the patient. You just need to be mindful of the fact that you have had major surgery and you need time to recover so you need to pace yourself through the recovery process and take the advice from your cardiac team who will be on hand every step of the way. It’s not beyond realms that within 3 months you will back to your old self probably ironically much fitter and healthier than before. It just takes time. Your heart has been through a big beating (pardon the pun) and needs to heal so it’s reasonable to expect some discomfort and loss of confidence during this time. If you feel a bit low in mood talk to your doctor about getting some help in this regard. Talking to others helps to put your worries into perspective and helps with becoming more positive about the future. Good luck. You will be getting stronger each day

[Hidden]

I had a quad July 2015 and as the surgeon told me after the procedure "now it's up to you" My diet is better than pre-heart attack and I walk at least 5 miles per day. All in all I'm probably as fit now (months away from the big 60) as I was back in my 20's. Cardiac team told me I should be good for 15-20 years, dependent of course of me doing my

partI

[Chappychap]

Averaged across all the bypass operations in the UK there's an approximately 2% chance of death or a serious stroke during the operation itself. However, this is an average. The average bypass patient is in their late 60's, if you're younger then your chances are better. If you're relatively slim, exercise regularly, don't smoke, and don't have any common co-morbidities such as Type 2 diabetes, then again your chances are better. If you're older, obese, a smoker, etc then your odds are worse than 2%.

You'll be told the 2% risk figure before the operation as you have to give your informed consent, with the key word being "informed".

However, what you won't be told is the risk of the bypass operation failing within the first year with re-stenosis occurring. This was my main concern, because this risk is materially higher than 2% and, if a bypass fails, it's very unlikely there'll be any further bypass attempted. So the heart disease would then have to be managed with medication and life style changes alone. A few people on this forum have found themselves in this situation. The data I found suggested this risk could be in the range 10-15%, but when I discussed this with the surgeon he said these figures were out of date, however he wasn't able to say what the more recent data was.

A heart surgeon from Papworth Hospital called Samar Nashef wrote an excellent and well known book about heart surgery called "The Angina Monologues". Less well known is his companion volume, "The Naked Surgeon", in which he explores heart surgery risk in much greater detail. It's quite technical but still a fascinating read.

[Chappychap]

Incidentally, another fact that isn't widely recognised is that stents, and to a lesser extent bypass operations, have relatively little effect on mortality. It seems counter intuitive but the facts are the facts, they're more about improving quality of life rather than extending life.

Statistically if you want to live longer then it's more about making serious and substantial changes to your life style after the operation rather than relying on the operation itself. Someone posted earlier that the surgeon told them "it's up to you now", that's very true, which is why hospitals invest so much in cardio rehab courses in order to give heart patients the skills and knowledge to help themselves with those all important life style changes.

[Douglas91 in reply to Chappychap]

I agree with what you say. The operation is only the start. It won’t address the underlying CHD but it will give an opportunity to make improvements and in turn the prognosis is much better for sufferers. The advice is to take onboard all what the medics tell you. The most important is to look after diet nutrition and exercise are the fundamentals not only in heart disease but in heart health in general. Take care

[Rupertthedog]

Thanks to everyone taking time to give their advice and other details.It all helps me and anyone post or pre op getting on with life.

[sos007]

I had a triple bypass in March 2015. 2 bypasses were done by re-routing the mammary arteries and one with a vein graft.

Prior to the surgery I had an angiogram performed which sealed my fate. During that procedure they told me that my best course of action was bypass surgery. I had requested stents during the angiogram but they said it would be too risky as my main artery had 3 separate blockages.

Following the surgery I could not breathe easier as expected. I followed the post-op hospital instructions carefully and at my 30 day check up I received bad news.

The vein graft was completely occluded, and the openings where the mammary arteries were reattached to the pericardium were too narrow.

When I asked why the cardiologist said they didn't know how this occurred.

He speculated that the suturing was too tight or that there was too much scar-tissue.

I subsequently read that most vein grafts fail because the vein was not designed to handle the high pressure of the heart's pumping action. I also learned from extensive investigation that the failure with the mammary arteries was likely the angle of connection was too acute which slowed blood flow.

To make a long story short - I had two angioplasty procedures done within the next 2 months that inserted 4 stents in all, including two into the main artery which has 3 blockages.

The surgeon who performed the procedure told me prior to these angioplasties that he wasn't concerned about the risk - he was confident he could do it successfully.

I subsequently made radical changes to my dietary and lifestyle habits and dropped 40 lbs post-surgery to my natural body weight. During this period I gradually reduced the dosage of all medications and within 10 months of making these changes (October 2016), I stopped taking ALL medications completely. I only continued to take baby aspirin. Several months ago I stopped taking the baby aspirin as well due to new medical research.

The surgery was traumatic, the recovery was difficult and the anxiety has remained to this day. Every unusual feeling in the chest area causes anxiety.

I conduct quarterly blood tests to monitor my health and my diet (Mediterranean Diet) is pristine - completely avoiding sugar and simple carbohydrates.

I also exercise daily including weights 2-3 days per week and play ice hockey once per week. I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm a male 57 years of age.

The bottom line is, if you are asymptomatic prior to recommended surgery or your symptoms are mild, you can avoid the surgery altogether with dietary and lifestyle modification.

If I could go back in time, I would never have permitted the surgery and would have insisted instead on the angioplasty. Even better, I would have simply requested medications while I radically changed my diet and lifestyle and would then have avoided the angioplasty as well.

Natural solutions are always better than medical interventions. Doctors always insist on medical interventions because as the saying goes... 'when the only tool in your tool box is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail'.

Good luck!

[Prada47 in reply to sos007]

I take it your Cardiologist is aware that you have stopped all the Medication ?? Funny how people are still dying in Med Countries even though they eat the Mediterranean Diet ! If only it was so simple sos007 you being an expert I hope you know when it's time to call an Expert sometimes referred to as Cardiologists.

" Even better, I would have simply requested medications while I radically changed my diet and lifestyle and would then have avoided the angioplasty as well ".

You are only guessing you or I will never know if this is a Fact or not.

Sorry to be so blunt but I would rather take my chance with a Surgeon rather than some half baked notion Diet will reverse CAD. Help you feel better Maybe but not Reverse it.

My Stepfather a Heavy Roll your own Smoker and really really liked a Heavy Drinking Session died aged 85 from Prostate Cancer His heart was fine Just the Luck of the Draw.

[sos007 in reply to Prada47]

My cardiologist is aware - but is unhappy I stopped the statin. I'm seeing him next month for my annual check up - and I will tell him that I recently stopped the baby aspirin and I'm sure he won't like that either. However, since I have a very disciplined dietary and lifestyle regimen, I do not see a need to take interventional pharmaceuticals that disrupt the body's normal functions. In my initial comment taking medications initially would only have been to buy time until dietary and lifestyle modifications started to make an impact.

I'm a Greek national living in North America. I visited my home country last year and was in Italy recently as well. I can tell you that many of those living in Mediterranean countries are now eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) and not their own native 'poverty diet'. So if the stats say they are dying of heart disease it is because they are not adhering to a healthy diet and lifestyle as previous generations had.

Studies show that only 25% of disease is genetic - the rest are related to dietary and lifestyle choices. Your anecdote about dad is incomplete. What was quality of life like the last 10 years prior to death? Was there type 2 diabetes, CKD, arthritis, or other ailments?

Heart disease (as defined by atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries), begins in the first decade of life. Disease progression is dependent on dietary and lifestyle choices. The poorer the diet the earlier it manifests in angina, heart attack or stroke. BPH and prostate cancers are also manifestations of behavioural choices as well.

The suggestion that diet is a half-baked notion is a reflection of ignorance. There are many scientists, doctors and cardiologists who also support this view.

It is much easier to be a victim and point at genetics than to take personal responsibility and make the difficult changes required to bring the body back into homeostasis - so this is what the vast majority of people do.

I share my experience so that others may not have to suffer - but if they choose to ignore my experience and what I have learned along the way, then that is their choice. I'm a libertarian and firmly believe people should make their own choices in life - and live the consequences.

So if you choose medical intervention that is your right.

Here's a British doctor who has recently seen the light:

youtu.be/gaY4m00wXpw(Not working as expected?)

[Ianc2 in reply to sos007]

Interesting response. I travel to Spain quite often and have noticed the drive in Fast food chains opening up. In the tourist areas chips have suddenly started appearing with everything, and far more meat products are being served, along with sugary drinks. Still don't see many obese Spanish people - but I suspect we soon will.

[sos007 in reply to Ianc2]

On a relative basis, and generally speaking, people in Europe are still in better health compared to those in the U.S. and Canada. Although here in Canada we are, relatively speaking, better than those in the U.S.

Two major factors for Europe's superior health profile have to do with a lifestyle that involves a great deal of walking on most days, along with a food supply is that is not corrupted as much as in North America by GMOs, pesticides, over-crowded livestock conditions, and the slaughter practices.

People who travel from North America to Europe always comment about how much better food tastes there.

I have yet to visit the UK (but will be there in a few weeks for vacation), so I don't know how the Brits fare relatively speaking to the continent. Jamie Oliver's Sugar Rush documentary did not paint a good picture.

[Ianc2 in reply to sos007]

I was born in the closin g days of the WW2 and I can remember rationing and playing on bomb sites, etc. 'Don't waste food' was ingrained from very early days. Those lessons from the past have now been forgotten and fast food drive in franchises are now very popular. Interesting times.

[Prada47]

I am afraid we will have to leave it there as I am sure we could both find cases to support our opposite views. I am sure if Rangan suspected he had a Cardiac problem he would consult a Cardiologist and not a packet of Corn Flakes.

[sos007 in reply to Prada47]

For the record, I never suggested not to consult with a cardiologist - however, an alternative opinion is important, and at the end of the day, every individual must weigh all information carefully before making a final decision. Following a healthy diet and lifestyle will be part of the post-surgical recommendations anyway.

[12345bob]

Well said!

[Clerkenweller]

You should discuss this with your cardiologist. But you will find many good stories on here.