What positively influences life expectancy?
Life expectancy after a heart bypass operation is initially positively influenced primarily by a good surgical result. The aim of the operation is to restore a possible good blood supply to the coronary arteries and thus the best possible oxygen supply to the heart muscle. The better the result of the operation, the more life expectancy is positively influenced.
In addition, a fast and complication-free healing process after the operation has a positive effect. Patients who recover quickly from the operation and become mobile again soon have a better life expectancy. For a positive development, it is therefore also important that the patient’s general condition is as good as possible before the operation. A physically active person with few concomitant diseases (apart from severe heart disease) has better chances of recovery after a bypass operation. In addition, statistically speaking, life expectancy is higher if a chest wall artery is used for the bypass instead of the patient’s own vein.
What has a negative impact on life expectancy?
Factors that have a negative impact on life expectancy after bypass surgery include a higher age and a reduced general condition of the patient prior to surgery. In addition, life expectancy is worse if the operation had to be performed in an emergency, for example due to a severe heart attack, than if the operation was planned (elective).In addition, the extent of the disease of the coronary arteries is of great importance. If there is a narrowing of the main stem, the prospects are worse than if the narrowing affects only a smaller part of the vessels.
In addition, open-heart surgery can always result in delayed healing or complications, which also has a poor prognosis. Furthermore, a poor lifestyle of the patient has a negative impact on life expectancy. Smoking in particular worsens the prognosis considerably. However, lack of physical exercise and an unbalanced diet also lead to a significantly reduced life expectancy.