• Once the patient comes back to sense after the open heart surgery, he will be offered only liquids. Having a clear liquid diet during this phase will prevent occurrence of nausea, which is one of the most common side effects of anesthesia. Having liquids will slowly make the patient’s digestive system ready for coming back to its normal self. An open heart surgery patients will have to take liquids at least for 2 days, after which the doctor might allow him to have solid foods. The solid foods offered during this phase must be low in salt and fat. If the patient is a diabetic, he will also need cutting back on his food’s sugar content. In short, the solid foods offered to an open heart surgery patient within two days of the surgery are likely to taste bland.
• After leaving the hospital, the patient must continue to follow a healthy diet plan. His daily diet should include fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean meats. These food types offer nutrients required by the patient’s body for speeding up the healing process. In this stage, the patient might not feel like having large meals; in such cases, offer them smaller snacks at regular intervals all through the day. This will ensure that the patient do not develop nausea, a common condition experienced by open heart surgery patients due to intake of some pain medications.

  

• Open heart surgery patients must stay away from processed food items like chips, sugary foods and foods containing cholesterol and Trans fat throughout the rest of their lives.

Statins basically work by preventing the action of a specific enzyme released by liver which is responsible for building the cholesterol levels. These drugs are given as a secondary prevention to those people who have experienced a heart attack earlier. Statins considerably reduce the risk of a second heart attack by significantly preventing the build-up LDL. However, these drugs along with a follow-up of a healthy diet can reduce the risk of having a first stroke as well.

Although these drugs reduce bad cholesterol, they come with certain side effects. The most notable among them are: headaches, muscle pains, fatigue and weakness. Besides these statins are also known to deprive our heart of one of the useful enzymes called CoQ10. Having adequate levels of the enzyme CoQ10 is extremely essential for maintaining good heart health. Individuals using statins for prolonged period of time often end up weakening their hearts and might also become more susceptible towards developing heart attacks due to decreased levels of this enzyme.

There are over 30 different types of congenital heart defects observed among children. However, they are categorized into two main types called, cyanotic heart disease and acyanotic disease. Cyanotic heart diseases occur when the presence of oxygen in not enough in the blood. Babies born with this disease have blue colored limbs which strongly indicate the lack of oxygen. Such infants also experience other problems like breathlessness, fainting and fatigue.

In Acyanotic diseases, the blood is not normally pumped throughout the body.  Children born with this disease have high blood pressure as the heart is forced to pump very hard to reach adequate blood through the body parts. Symptoms associated with this disease are breathlessness, dizziness, fainting and fatigue.  Such children suffer from the problems of pulmonary hypertension as the pressure of the blood becomes extremely high around the lungs.

Congenital heart defects are elusive diseases that may not appear for numerous years until the baby reaches his adulthood, whereas, in some cases, its effect may become evident right after the birth. These defects are one of the major causes of pre-mature deaths among babies. However, if you detect the disease on time, you may save your child from further serious health issues.

The production of heart murmurs by the infant is one of the most sure-shot ways of detecting this disease. These murmurs are specific sounds, produced only when the child is suffering from a heart defect.

Abnormal growth of some of the body parts is yet another strong signal of congenital heart disease in the child. He / she may experience an unusually enlarged finger or toe finger with an overgrown nail. Other than limbs, the liver also becomes larger than the normal size. Failure of organs like kidney, liver is also one among the evident alert signs of heart defects.

Pulmonary edema:
Sudden accumulation of fluid in a patient’s lungs due to an acute diastolic heart failure is medically called pulmonary edema. One of the most common factors responsible for causing this heart failure type is coronary artery disease. The signs indicating pulmonary edema include increase in heart rate, pallor, wheezing, chest pain, restlessness, breathing difficulties, and sweating.

Shock:
Often acute diastolic heart failure end up causing cardiogenic shocks; any patients experiencing this condition should be attended by a doctor immediately. The symptoms of a shock caused by a heart failure or heart disease include: hypotension and decrease in the level of consciousness. The skin of some patients experiencing heart condition related shocks might turn bluish or get discolored and feel extremely cold when touched; these skin changes are more common around the patient’s nail beds and lips.

Hypertension:
Hypertension, a condition characterized by increase in blood pressure levels beyond normal is another common sign of acute diastolic heart failure. The blood vessels of a patient with hypertension become extremely narrow for compensating the inability of his heart in maintaining proper flow of blood.

Pink and frothy sputum:
Acute diastolic heart failure can be indicated by production of bloody or pink-tinged frothy sputum. When the pumping action of the heart is not accomplished properly, it leads to fluid backup. Blood might also backup within the veins. Our system makes us cough for clearing the airways; thus, when the backup of blood occurs, people tend to cough up bloody sputum.

Arrhythmia:
This condition is marked by disturbances in the patient’s heart rhythm. It is one of the most frequently observed sign of acute diastolic heart failure. According to medical experts, increase in the heart’s workload might interfere with the functioning of electrical signals responsible for keeping our heart rate within the normal limits; this might lead to life threatening consequences.

One may develop CHD due to a numerous factors; the most common among them are: hypertension, high levels of blood cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and smoking habit. According to medical experts, leading an excessively sedentary life also might also trigger occurrence of CHD. There are also instances, when a person has developed heart diseases due to certain genetic links. This means, if you have family members who developed CHD or other heart diseases before reaching the age of 60 years, you are more at risk of developing heart disorders. In such cases, individuals must consult their physicians to know ways of preventing the onset of heart disorders.

Back pain is one of the most common signs of angina or heart attack; on most occasions patients do not experience any sign of CHD until the heart attack actually occurs. Whenever you experience a pain starting from center of the chest and radiating towards the back, arms and neck for over a period of few minutes, you must seek immediate medical attention. Such pains are often signs of heart attacks. Heart attack is often indicated by pain in the chest, neck and back accompanied by conditions like cold sweats, nausea, breathing difficulties and lightheadedness.

Back pain accompanies by pain in the arms, shoulders, neck and chest might also indicate occurrence of angina. Angina is another common medical condition occurring due to disruption of blood flow towards the heart. A person suffering from CHD often develops clogged arteries due to deposition of atheroma; atheroma is defined as a fatty agent that restricts the flow of blood towards the heart. When patients with CHD exercise, further stress is imposed on the already clogged arteries; so, usually doctors ask patients diagnosed with CHD to stay away from vigorous exercising. A patient with CHD is allowed to exercise only according to the guidance of an experienced physical trainer and the heart specialist. The signs of angina are lot like heartburn; so you must always get yourself checked for angina whenever you experience heart burn like signs.

Blockage in coronary arteries results in death of heart muscles that received blood from the blocked arteries. This condition might result in heart attacks, which is often indicated by pain in the back, chest and neck.

According to a recently conducted survey by American Heart Association, the number of deaths occurring due to coronary heart diseases in the United States of America is increasing every year. The survey has also come up with statistics that suggest that over 1.2million individuals in USA suffer from heart attacks due to coronary heart disease. Out of these patients, around 30% die. If a person successfully identifies the early signs of heart attacks like pain in the back, neck, arms and chest, the possibility of fatal consequences can be avoided successfully.

According to speaker for the AHA, M. Sayre, chest compressions are a vital component of cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR. The main amendment is to start CPR by doing compressions to the chest instead of opening airway & performing rescue-breaths. He added that merely when rescuers have specific training in giving typical CPR must they be giving rescue breaths.

Latest study findings suggest that CPR while not giving rescue breaths appears to work as effectively or better as compared to the complete version in majority of the cardiac arrest sufferers.

Moreover it may even get greater numbers of individuals in doing CPR that is presently done on solely around fifty percent of the cases when an individual collapsing due to cardiac arrest is spotted. Around three lakh people in the U.S. suffer cardiac arrest annually & survival figures being bleak as lesser than 1 among ten which has not shown change in the last thirty years. However, physicians state that it can & part of the resolution is getting more numbers of onlookers to administer chest compressions to the central part of the chest.

The preferable pace is a hundred compressions in sixty seconds and every compression must be around 2 inches or 5 cms deep for adult & kid populaces while 1.5 inches in case of babies. A rescuer must not be leaning on the chest in-between compressions and it is vital that the chest be allowed to revert to initial position.

Sayre states that when one notices victims abruptly collapsing then the chances of it being a cardiac arrest are more.

In case the victims are not respiring or not having normal respiration then they should be tapped on the shoulders for checking whether they could be woken up. In case this does not occur then commencing chest compressions is recommended subsequent to having called emergency helpline number for ambulance.

In case one starts CPR on a person collapsing for reasons apart from cardiac arrest then he/she would generally awaken hence grave injury atypically occurs.

In the initial part of October, Arizona bore witness to the effects of countrywide campaigning for getting onlookers to come forth and administer hands only CPR.

Half a decade following health care professionals endorsing this procedure; the odds of survival in cardiac arrest cases have increased over two folds and reached near ten percent. Also those sufferers receiving hands-on CPR had a one and half folds greater likelihood of surviving in comparison to the ones given conventionally done CPR.

Despite this, several healthcare experts point out that aspects like public accessibility to defibrillator – that could help in jolting heart back to regular rhythms & improved hospital care are additionally significant.

Among individuals with training in conventionally done CPR, the novel parameters suggest offering duo breaths following thirty compressions & then to repeat the cycle.

This might be particularly beneficial for several kids & individuals who are drowning victims due to oxygen supply being scare in their blood.

However for most of the adults in the U.S. suffering cardiac arrest, abrupt heart casualty occurs since arteries supplying it develop clogging due to cholesterol. In such cases, the blood flow has to be maintained sans any interruptions is important.

Here are ways of identifying whether the gains are outweighing the risks for a particular individual.

Undergo Screening

Irrespective of how old one is, those at augmented risk for heart attacks or strokes in most cases require taking aspirin for protecting their heart. These include people having:

• Ailed from a past stroke, TIA or heart attack.
• Angina – chest pains worsening while exercising and easing once one rests.
• Being through PTAS or CAS or coronary by-pass operation.
• Diabetic.

Males in-between forty-five and seventy-nine years of age sans this history might additionally be benefited from daily intake of aspirin, however for ascertaining whether they require it, seeking medical opinion is necessary for ascertaining their risk of suffering from heart attacks in the subsequent decade on the basis of factors like cholesterol, blood-pressure readings and whether smoker or not. To assist in ascertaining this, the NCEP’s heart attack risk calculator is of great assistance.

Females in the age group of fifty-five and seventy-nine years old mostly are benefited however solely in case they are at an augmented risk of suffering from strokes in the subsequent decade dependent on several of the analogous risk factors. The USPSTF’s stroke calculator could vastly aid in ascertaining this.

Irrespective of the sex, aspirin treatment must be restricted to people not at an augmented risk of GI bleeding. Among males and females eighty years and more, there is yet not ample proof for knowing with certainty if aspirin is helpful or not.

Omega-3’s as Substitute for Aspirin?

Even though omega-3 fatty acids do help in thinning blood to some extent, the effect pale when contrasted against the effective anti-clotting properties of aspirin. The advantages linked to omega-3 fatty acids include a lesser risk of another heart attack, possibly stemming from other outcomes these have on the heart like arrhythmia prevention.

Hence in case one is taking aspirin everyday then making omega-3 fatty acid as an adjunct to this regime rather than an alternative is highly recommended by several specialists. Individuals having cardiovascular ailment must ideally be aiming for one gram daily derived from fish oil in supplemental form. Individuals in good health require solely two gms per week that they could easily obtain from duo serves of fatty fishes.

Important Tips for Safe Usage of Aspirin

For maximizing the advantages and minimizing risks related to aspirin intake here are few crucial pointers to bear in mind.

Sticking to less-dosage (eighty-one mg baby aspirin)

Baby aspirin has analogous efficacy as standard adult pills (strength over three hundred milligrams) & have lesser likelihood of harming the gut & causing complications. The sole exemption is in case one thinks that one is experiencing a heart attack then in such a scenarios promptly call emergency helpline numbers and then chewing and swallowing a 325 milligrams pill of aspirin.

Protecting the Gut

For individuals with a past of abdominal blood loss however their physicians recommend intake of low-dosage aspirin anyways, they should ideally be asking for inclusion of abdomen-shielding medicines like:

• Misoprostol – Cytotec & generic version
• Omeprazole – Prilosec Over-the-Counter, Prilosec & generic version.

In case one is yet incapable of tolerating aspirin or one’s peril of GI bleeding is quite elevated then asking the doctor to recommend another blood thinner drug.

Not Stopping Intake By Yourself

One must not suddenly halt the intake of aspirin since it eradicates its shielding advantages & may augment risk past initial levels by increasing the likelihood of platelet in blood and forming blood clot. In case a person does require stopping aspirin intake, perhaps prior to surgical intervention then doing so as momentarily as doable.

Not Combining Aspirin intake with associated pain allayers

Drugs like naproxen (Aleve & generic) or ibuprofen (Advil & generic) have chemical composition associated with aspirin hence their intake in unison could proliferate the risk of abdominal issues. Also these medicines could weaken blood-thinning outcomes of aspirin. In case one has to use these drugs then taking aspirin no less than 4 hours prior to taking them. This would provide it the opportunity of doing its task while not competing against other drugs.

In case earlier outcomes are ascertained then it can be another attribute for testing to forecast cardiovascular disease risk, although measurement of amounts of progerin is not that straightforward as getting cholesterol levels tested.

During a research helmed by NIH & the Progeria Research Foundation, investigators uncovered protein presence in the coronary arteries and plaque formations of progeria kids. Progerin was additionally noted in the arteries of elderly individuals and might impel heart disease.

Some experts claim that this study has been able to draw parallel in-between usual and progeria caused aging while others caveat that although the outcomes are noteworthy they need to be examined in bigger populaces.

Investigators are still short of comprehensive knowledge regarding progerin which is a mutant type of the LMNA protein or (Lamin a) that is decisive in systematizing the genome within the cells of our bodies.

Measurement of progerin levels are not that easily done and are considered to vacillate in each individual. Since long, researchers were unsure if progeria patients did in fact produce progerin.

Emergent studies suggest that just a miniscule quantity of progerin is no good for health.

A research that appeared on line involved examination of autopsied tissues from nine and fourteen year old children dying due to heart attack. The study scientists additionally evaluated autopsied tissues from twenty-nine people not having progeria in the ages from 1-month-old to ninety-seven years of age. The protein was found in every tissue sample taken – also present in the arterial system of a month old infant which reinforces investigation that suggests individuals make miniscule quantities of progerin soon following delivery and due to some aging-related reason it starts accruing in their bodies.  People who were ninety-seven year old had peak progerin levels and the quantities seemed to rise about three percent annually. Despite this, the ninety-seven year old yet had considerably lesser progestin levels as compared to a progeria kid.

Co-researcher of the study that appeared in the on line journal ‘Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology’, Elizabeth Nabel states that there are notable resemblances in-between heart attack cases in progeria kids and what transpires among individuals in general populaces who suffer heart attack.

Doctor Nabel who heads the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston pointed out that progerin offers a likely supplementary risk factor which could be leading to blood vessel scarring over periods of time.

Several other aspects tend to obscure the study. Though heart conditions are a progeria trademark, kids having the condition do not have several of the conventional risk factors. They are non-smokers, do not have hypertension or elevated amounts of cholesterol or C-reactive protein – that are deemed risk factors for heart problems among adults.

However one query continues to perplex scientists is that – could progerin presence be proffering any benefits. It has been noted that progeria kids do not develop cancer. Researchers conjecture that these kids do not have that lengthy life to develop cancer. But some believe that progerin might be having some kind of shielding effect from cancer earlier on in life.

A study conducted during 2006 examined skin cells taken from people in their sixties, seventies and eighties and noted progerin presence and cell appearances resembling those among progeria kids.

Lately a study is on-going which is evaluating a drug combination that would help in lessening the damage caused by progeria to the body. In case effectual, the analogous medicines might soon be beneficially used for reducing risk of heart attacks in usually aging individuals.

Also, NIH cell biologist, Tom Misteli points out that his laboratory is examining huge quantities of medicines for seeing whether any of these might lessen progerin amounts in the cell structures of progeria kids and those people with normal aging.

Hypertension or high blood pressure develops due to transmission of flawed signals from the brain to the renal nerves. These nerves present in the arteries deliver to the kidneys and play vital role in regulating blood pressure, though it is not completely clear the manner in which they do it.

In nearly ninety-five percent of the situations, there is no lone, specific cause for such flawed signals; however risk factors inclusive of age, binge drinking, inadequate dietetic intake, dearth of physical exercise and being obese are some of the identified aspects.

A normal blood pressure reading is about 120 by 80 and any reading that is 140 by 90 and above is a high reading indicating hypertension. Those suffering from this condition could endure acute headaches.

However, a number of individuals are asymptomatic despite having high blood pressure levels; hence it is a prudent practise to get blood pressure levels evaluated on a regular basis. Treatment of hypertension is also imperative as it is the key risk factor leading to cardiovascular ailments – the heart having to put in greater effort in pumping blood that tends to weaken it. The rising pressure has a damaging effect on the arterial walls that could cause blockages or even brain haemorrhage that are both causal in case of strokes.

Treatment generally initiates with lifestyle alterations like restricting alcohol intake and exercising. In case this does seem to have any effect, then lifelong medications are prescribed that have associated side-effects. These include feeling nauseous, giddiness, lethargy, blurry eyesight, nose bleeding, erratic heart beats or feeling breathless and skin rashes.

Till recent times, all showed to improvement with medicines or those unable to bear the drug side effects were left with no choices but to be hopeful that their situation would not deteriorate. However, renal denervation holds thrilling prospects and a highly commendable development in this field in the past five decades.

During the procedure a fine pliable tube (catheter) is fed via an artery in the groin area in the renal arteries. A line is then passed into the artery and with the assistance of a small electric current the renal nerves situated in the artery wall are ablated. This puts a stop to the flawed signals arising from the brain that tell the nerves to maintain high blood pressure.

The highlight of this procedure is that there is no form of harm done to the renal artery or the kidneys. Though the two renal arteries need this form of treatment, however the surgery merely involves a simple slit on the right side of the groin region with merely a small post-operative mark on the patient’s skin.

Generally, doctors administer 4-6 rounds of electric currents in 120 seconds burst intervals for treating the entire artery.

This procedure appears quite effectual. Though there could be re-growth of the nerves, there is no proof of whether they would re-acquire functionality. There is hardly any risk of blood loss or harm and is risk-free.

Though subsequent to the operation there would not essentially be a complete stoppage of blood pressure drugs though lesser tablets would be needed henceforth and the risk of suffering from heart attack or strokes would be considerably lowered as hypertension is under greater control.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is an abnormal  condition of dilatation of the heart muscles with weakened and enlarged  left ventricle,  the heart’s main pumping chamber. This leads to progressive decrease in ejection volume of the  blood pumped out  per heart beat. The left ventricle may fail to relax  preventing its filling  Other chambers of the heart may also be affected.

Symptoms of DCM

Many with DCM lead a normal life without showing any symptoms or only minor ones. With progressive worsening of the heart function  following symptoms are observed.

• Cardiac insufficiency (shortness of breath) due to reduction in ejection volume  of left ventricle upto 30%.
• Swelling of the legs and feet  weight gain , cough congestion due to fluid retention to compensate for the reduced cardiac out put
• Fatigue (feeling overly tired), inability to exercise, or even perform normal activities  due to reduced cardiac function
• Palpitations or fluttering in the chest due to abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia)
• Dizziness or lightheadedness  and  Fainting caused by irregular heart rhythms, abnormal responses of the blood vessels during exercise, These  symptoms may be without any apparent cause
• Pulmonary emboli (lungs), renal emboli (kidney) cerebral emboli or stroke (brain)  and peripheral emboli (limbs) due to blood clots as a result of  slow blood flow through the body
• Chest pain or  pressure (occurs usually with exercise or physical activity, but can also occur with rest or after meals).

Causes of DCM

Following are the causes of DCM  except  of   inherited (familial)DCM.  Causes of most cases of DCM  called idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy or dilated nonischemic cardiomyopathy are unknown

• Severe coronary artery disease
• Alcoholism
• Thyroid disease
• Diabetes
• Viral bacterail, fungal infections
• Heart valve abnormalities
• Drugs that are toxic (or cause damage) to the heart  ( anthracyclins)

It can also occur in women after childbirth(postpartum cardiomyopathy).

Diagnosis of DCM

The diagnosis is based on  personal and familial medical history followed by physical examination and  specific tests like blood tests, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, echocardiogram, exercise stress test, cardiac cathetirization, CT-scan and MRI.

Myocardial biopsy or heart biopsy where a tissue sample of  the heart is microscopically observed  is another test of detection rarely applied.

Relatives of those with familial DCM should be screened for DCM. by tests mentioned above  In addition a genetic testing may also be done to identify abnormal genes.

Treatment of DCM

Treatment is aimed at  correction of   the causes of DCM. Primary objective is to decrease  the heart size and also to decrease  thequantity of  substances in the bloodstream ,e.g., hormones, which enlarge the heart and aggarvate the symptoms. Several medications are available to the patient  to treat DCM. Physicians recommend  in addition  a variety of lifestyle changes to complement the drug therapy.

Drugs used to treat DCM

Beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors are administered to manage DCM even without onset of symptoms.  On appearance of symptoms or their aggravation, digoxin, diuretics, and aldosterone inhibitors are resorted to. If needed other medications are used by the physician, e.g., use of antiarrhythmics to control heart, use of blood thinners to prevent occurrence of blood clots. Your physician is the best judge for the choice of medication needed by you…

Lifestyle Changes

Diet:

On occurrence of symptoms like shortness of breath or fatigue, a restriction of intake of salt (sodium) to 2,000 to 3,000 mg per day is recommended. Continuation of the same regimen is recommended even on abatement of symptoms. One can adjust to the appropriate quantity by reading the sodium content on the labels of processed foods commonly used nowadays.

Exercice:

Non-competitive aerobic exercises are recommended while avoiding exercises like heavy weight lifting. DCM patients are advised to consult their physician for the appropriate exercise and its intensity.

Surgery for DCM:

One of the following surgery may be needed for severe DCM cases.

Cardiac resynchronization (CRT) by biventricular pacemaker:

Although under optimal therapy , if one still shows symptoms of heart failure and the ECG and Echocardiogram show specific characteristics putting a pace maker  helps to stimulate both right and left ventricles enabling the heart to contract with more force to improve the symptoms and increase physical endurance. Those with a heart block or bradychardia( slow heart rate) also benefit from  pace makers.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD):

For patients at risk with life threatening arrythmias or sudden cardiac death ICD is recommended. It constantly monitors heart rhythms and changes  abnormal rhythms to the normal ones with appropriate supply of energy to the heart muscle.

Surgery   is adviced in valve diseases  in thin heart muscle after heart attack, in congenital malformations. Insertion of left ventricular assist device in case of advanced end stage heart failure.