Surgeries

Sometimes, a surgery is needed to make the heart and blood vessels continue working. There are various procedures that surgeons undertake to make it happen.
Sometimes it is scary to know that a surgery is scheduled, but that can also prevent a person from getting a heart attack or stroke.

Let us see a few surgeries that can help:

Angioplasty:
A narrow blood vessel can be opened up a bit to make the blood flow freely. This is like a small balloon that is inserted into the vessel.

In some cases too, a small stainless steel tube is inserted into the vessel to keep it opened for blood flow (as in diagram below).

Atherectomy
This involves cutting the plaque out of an artery, so blood can flow freely. If this is done in the carotid artery to prevent a stroke, it is called Carotid endarterectomy. 

Bypass surgery 
If an area of a vessel is blocked, surgeons can take out part of a vessel from another part of the body to channel blood around that blockage. In a similar way, damaged valves can be replaced. This is known as valve replacement.

Pacemakers 
Sometimes, a small electronic device, called a pacemaker is put inside the body to regulate the heartbeat.