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Open heart and bypass surgeries are two effective surgical procedures to treat cardiac diseases. To learn how they differ, check out our blog on open heart vs bypass surgery.
Open-heart surgery and bypass surgery are the most popular options for the most effective treatments for heart ailments. While open heart surgery is performed by accessing the heart directly by making an incision through a patient's chest, bypass surgery involves creating alternate pathways to direct blood flow.
Both surgical procedures have their own applications and benefits. If you are confused about which option is better for you, this blog is for you.
We will discuss the difference between open heart and bypass surgery to help you make the right decision. Keep reading!
Table of Content
What is Open Heart Surgery?
As the name itself suggests, open heart surgery involves performing surgery directly on the heart by making an incision on the patient's heart.
In other terms, a patient’s chest is cut open, and surgical operations are performed on the muscles, arteries, or valves of the heart.
This type of surgery is used to treat cardiac issues such as arrhythmias, heart failures, coronary artery diseases, aneurysms, and so on.
What is Bypass Surgery?
Bypass surgery is a type of open heart surgery that involves performing surgery after opening the patient's heart. The only difference is, after opening the heart of the patient, doctors perform the operation by choosing any one of the following ways:
Off-pump Surgery: In this scenario, the patient’s heart keeps on beating throughout the operation. Hence, it is also referred to as a beating heart surgery. Further, no heart-lung machine is used in this procedure.
Most importantly, this type of surgery is possible without making an incision through a patient's chest, thus also known as closed heart surgery.
On-pump Surgery: In this type of operation, the surgeons typically use a heart-lung machine to temporarily stop the heart while they perform the surgery.
The heart-lung machine allows the patient to breathe and maintain the flow of blood at the same time. Further, this surgery involves making a cut through the patient’s chest.
Common Conditions Under Which Heart Surgery is Required
There are several instances where heart surgery becomes necessary. Some of the common conditions are as follows:
If there is a blockage in the left coronary artery of a patient.
Severe chest pain arising due to blockage in multiple arteries of the patient.
Congenital Heart Abnormalities
Cardiac Failures
Cardiac Arrhythmias
Heart valve diseases such as narrowing of heart valves.
Issues inside coronary arteries lead to damage in the left ventricle.
Open Heart Vs Bypass: Which is a Better Option?
As discussed above, both bypass and open-heart surgeries have their own applications. Thus, the decision regarding the most appropriate surgery out of the two lies in the hands of medical professionals.
Several factors need to be considered when deciding the right surgical procedure for the patient. These include medical conditions, severity of the issue, type of ailment, age of the patient, and so on.
Thus, it is advisable to consult a trusted healthcare professional to determine an effective and safe surgical treatment.
Are Heart Surgeries Covered Under Insurance Plans?
Looking at the increasing cost of healthcare services, it is clear that bearing the cost of heart surgeries can impose a financial burden. Thankfully, there are health insurance and critical illness insurance plans that offer financial coverage for types of heart surgeries. These include both open heart and bypass surgeries.
Besides, you can benefit from income tax deductions on health insurance premiums under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act. It means that you can save a good amount on taxes by purchasing a health insurance policy.
Open Heart Surgery Vs Bypass Surgery: Final Thoughts
In conclusion, open heart surgery involves performing surgery by cutting the patient’s heart open through his chest. On the other hand, bypass surgery involves creating an alternate path to maintain blood flow while performing the surgery.
In this blog, we have discussed the difference between open heart vs bypass surgery in detail. We have also discussed how you can save on the cost of surgery by claiming deductions under Section 80D. We hope it helps.
