“Are you living with coronary heart disease? Learn about your treatment options, recovery process, and tips for a healthier heart. Our latest article explores PCI and CABG procedures in detail.”

There are multiple procedures available for patients with Coronary heart disease, two of the most common are a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and a coronary artery bypass graft. Both of these procedures help restore blood flow to the heart and therefore patients find they are able to do more without chest discomfort after the procedure.

 

PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention)

A PCI is a procedure usually done under local anaesthetic and results in restoring blood flow to the heart by widening the blocked arteries. A small balloon is blown up to widen the narrowed artery then removed which creates a larger gap for the blood to flow through. Sometimes a mesh tube (stent) is also placed to stop the artery from narrowing, maintaining blood flow to the heart. Most patients are able to return to light physical activity after a week.

 

CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft)

A Coronary artery bypass graft is also a procedure that will restore blood flow to the heart. This time instead of restoring blood flow by creating more space for the blood to travel through, the bypass goes around the blockage which restores blood flow. It's often the case that one of blood vessels used for this will be taken from the leg or the arm. Some patients may need more than one graft. Recovery from this operation is typically longer with no lifting advised for the first three months due to the more invasive nature of the surgery.

 

Cardiovascular Exercise

During recovery from both procedures cardiovascular work is important. Good examples of this are walking and cycling. These sorts of activities help your heart and circulatory system work more efficiently, slowly increasing your fitness level and therefore making the demand on the heart less. This will also have positive impacts on your blood pressure, cholesterol and weight. You should feel slightly out of breath but not as if you couldn’t hold a conversation whilst doing this sort of exercise.

 

Resistance Training 

Resistance work is safe to do so after both procedures, however with a bypass we have to wait 3 months post op to allow the sternum to heal. Resistance work is important as if we can increase the work our muscles can do by increasing our strength it makes daily tasks easier and therefore decreasing the load on the heart. We should always make sure we are starting light and gradually build up the sets and reps and prioritising the large muscle groups.

 

 

If you have any questions about what procedure you have had done or what type of exercise is best suited to you please ask one of the staff and we will be happy to help.

Jack Raby, Exercise Physiologist - Heart Care Healthy Living