The rapid development of cardiosurgery in Turkey is connected with great advance in Turkish medicine. More recently, many cardiological patients were doomed and constantly experienced severe symptoms of heart disease. Open heart surgery is becoming an increasingly routine heart surgery for specialists in the cardiovascular surgery departments. The progress of cardiac surgery with the invention of heart valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting saves human lives.

Open heart surgery – should I be afraid?

The primary recovery medical period after open heart surgery lasts about 30-45 days. During this time, it is necessary to gradually return to usual activities. The pace and features of the medical recovery period after treatment and cardiac surgery are individual for each person. After heart surgery, there may be periods when you may feel worse, but don't worry. Here are some tips from Turkish surgeons that will allow a patient who has undergone open heart surgery to feel more comfortable and more confident after cardiovascular treatment:

• The stitches. In most cases, a patient after cardiac surgery is discharged from a hospital after removal of sutures. Perhaps, loss of sensitivity, itching and pain may develop at the site of the heart surgery.
• Emotional sensations. Some patients in the postoperative period after cardiac surgery have changes in the emotional sphere, such as decreased mood, lack of appetite, unwillingness to do something, anger, etc.
• After cardiosurgery in Turkey, there may be pain at the site of cardiovascular intervention. The pain can be present during the treatment and after open heart surgery for several months. This is a common for cardiac surgery sign and should not cause alarm. Patients may take pain medicines on medical prescription. Such treatment options as medical massage and relaxation exercises can help very good.
• Medication. After cardiosurgery in Turkey or other types of surgery in Turkey a patient needs different drugs. Some pills are taken for a limited time (e.g. treatment with warfarin after the heart valve replacement, biological prosthesis) and some medicine you should take permanently (warfarin after such heart surgery as prosthetic mechanical prosthesis placement, acetylsalicylic acid after coronary artery bypass grafting). Only by a doctor may administer or cancel a medication. If a patient, for whatever reason, does not take medicine after heart surgery on time, he should not take a double dose afterwards.
• Sport. Any physical load after cardiac surgery, except for the walk, may be permitted only after consultation with a surgeon or family physician. A patient should increase physical activity gradually, moving from easy exercises to more difficult ones. It is better to walk in the morning and evening, in fine weather, preferably on level ground, with no significant climbs.
• Weight lifting. During the first month after cardiac surgery a patient should lift no more than 2 kg. During the second month after cardiac surgery a patient should lift no more than 4 kg (2 kg in each hand), during the third month after cardiac surgery – no more than 6 kg (3 kg in each hand), and during the fourth month – no more than 10 kg (5 kg each hand). Be sure that the load is distributed symmetrically, in order to avoid instability of bone fragments of the sternum before its full healing after heart surgery (4 months).

If you follow medical recommendations after cardiac surgery, the cardiovascular system will be healthy long. About your open heart surgery will know only those people whom you will tell about it. Nobody else will even notice this.

Atherosclerosis – is there a way out?

The heart is responsible for supplying oxygen-enriched blood to all organs of the body. In turn, the heart receives blood supply from the coronary arteries. Atherosclerosis is the main cause of cardiac heart disease. Plaques made of fat, calcium and cholesterol in the walls of the coronary arteries usually lead to this. Coronary arteries thicken, lose their elasticity and become narrowed. If atherosclerosis is not diagnosed timely, the vessels can be completely blocked and the movement of blood will stop. This can cause acute heart attack which cannot be managed without medical cardiovascular treatment and cardiac surgery.

At the first stage, atherosclerosis is treated with drugs and statins, and it is not necessary to perform cardiac surgery. Lifestyle modifications are also required: sports, healthy food, avoiding stress, etc. At the second stage, atherosclerosis is treated with heart surgery such as heart valve replacement, stent implantation or, in the most difficult cases, coronary bypass surgery.

Coronary artery bypass grafting in the cardiovascular surgery department is indicated to patients with significant narrowing of the left main coronary artery (more than 75%). Some patients undergo coronary artery bypass grafting after myocardial infarction, when the arteries are blocked and it is impossible to insert a catheter to open a blocked artery.

Thousands of coronary artery bypass heart surgeries are performed every year in the cardiovascular surgery departments of Turkey. Some of them are planned, and some are emergency ones.

Heart valve replacement operation

Plastic surgery on heart valves (e.g. heart valve replacement) is a procedure which is performed to restore the health of people suffering from insufficiency or narrowing of heart valves. Usually heart valve replacement is performed in patients who have no effect from drug therapy. Worsening of the condition also requires surgery for health reasons.

What is the cardiovascular operation performed for?

The target of heart valve replacement surgery is to normalize blood flow in the heart and avoid additional load on the cardiovascular system. The main aim of surgeons is, if possible, preserving patient’s own valve. Such sparing intervention or valve replacement reduces need for medicines, improves physical endurance and quality of life.

How will I feel after returning home?

It is quite normal that after discharge from a hospital you will feel unusual. You may feel weakness connected with heart surgery or heart disease. Weakness is also connected with bed rest, as large muscles do not work during this quite long period. There is therefore nothing surprising in the fact that a patient may get tired easily and feel weak when he comes back home and tries to return to normal everyday activities. The best recommendation for the postoperative recovery period after heart valve replacement are exercises. After the surgery hiking is particularly effective. The main control criterion is the pulse rate, it should not exceed 120 beats per minute during exercise.

Turkey offers TOP-class treatment

The country has introduced legal liability for doctors, which gives additional guarantees for the quality of treatment in Turkey and general surgery. Nurses, unlike in a number of other countries, have higher education. Such requirements were introduced due to the expansion of their responsibilities against the background of high workload of doctors. Close cooperation of Turkish surgeons with the best specialists in the USA and Europe provides patients with additional benefits. Surgery and invasive types of treatment in Turkey is often preceded by online consultations and teleconference bridges. Cardiosurgery in Turkey is available to foreign patients as well. Turkish hospitals accept citizens of other countries for cardiovascular surgery in both private and public healthcare institutions.

Another pro of choosing surgery in Turkey is the simplified visa regime. Applying for a medical visa for cardiosurgery in Turkey is much easier compared to other countries. If 2 months are not enough for patients with cardiac pathology when undergoing treatment in Turkey, it is possible to extend the visa for another 3 months for other stages of cardiovascular surgery.

There are no problems with accommodation during the surgery and other kinds of treatment in Turkey. It is possible to book a room in a hotel located near the hospital or take advantage of the offers of guest houses, most of which are located directly on the territory of medical institutions.

Given the variety of departments of cardiosurgery in Turkey, you will need to decide what hospital you want to be treated in. Booking Health perfectly copes with this task. In Turkey, therea are the variety of specialized departments dealing with heart surgery. There are specialized centers that deal directly with the heart valve replacement or coronary artery bypass grafting, surgical treatment of aortic aneurysm. Booking Health has many years of experience in working with Turkish hospitals and will find the most suitable for you hospital. Also specialists of the company will give you an advice regarding the price of the treatment and find healthcare facility with the affordable prices. The cost of the surgeons services may be different and varies depending on experience and level of the doctor and the clinic. You can be sure that the price will not affect the quality of the work done. Cardiosurgery in Turkey is on the highest level and the surgeons reputation is excellent.

How much does the treatment cost?

The cost of treatment in Turkey for patients with different cardiac pathologies is one of the main advantages. On average, price for treatment in Turkey is 30-40% lower than in Germany or Israel. The quality of the services provided by surgeons is very high, as well as the efficiency of the treatment.

Organization of treatment in Turkey, including heart valve surgery or aortic aneurysm surgery, is also simple, if you use the competent organization of treatment services by Booking Health. It is a combination of high quality and low prices that makes many people to go to Turkey for treatment without considering more expensive options. It should be noted that the cost of treatment in all Turkish clinics differs by no more than 20%. The pricing policy for cardiovascular surgery is closely monitored by the state, and corresponds to special standards.

You can find out in advance how much the medical treatment in Turkey costs, even before arriving at the medical facility. This allows you to plan your budget for cardiovascular surgery and other kinds of treatment. Booking Health employees will always help you, experts of the company will be in touch with you 24/7.