Cardiovascular surgery is the medical specialty that deals with the correction of abnormalities of the heart and blood vessels caused by disorders or pathologies of the cardiovascular system. Since these anomalies can originate and affect differently depending on the age of the patient, cardiovascular surgery in adults is generally distinguished from cardiovascular surgery in children.
Cardiovascular surgery in adults
In adult patients, many cardiovascular diseases are caused by other diseases, such as overweight, hypertension, diabetes, among others. However, other cases may also be due to congenital pathologies or infectious diseases.
The most common interventions in cardiovascular surgery are the placement of conventional or resynchronization pacemakers, defibrillators, open surgery of the aorta and the implantation of endoprostheses, among others.
Cardiovascular surgery in children
In the case of children, it is pediatric cardiologists and cardiac surgeons who are responsible for forming a multidisciplinary team to treat congenital heart disease.
The main symptoms in children that may be cause for consultation are as follows:
- Shortness of breath
- Blue or gray skin, lips and under the fingernails (means that not enough oxygen is getting into the blood).
- Poor feeding
- Poor sleep
- Lack of growth and development
- Heart rate problems
When a child acquires heart disease or is born with it, the best solution is to resort to cardiovascular surgery, with surgical techniques such as those mentioned above in adults.