9 Complications With Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

5. Infection

As with all surgeries, there is a risk of post-surgery site infection that may cause many complications. Site infections occur at the location of the surgical puncture. Coronary artery bypass surgery infections are extremely dangerous as they deal with infections near the heart. Infections that occur near the bloodstream or in blood vessels may also be deadly. A 2014 study showed a link between sternal site infection and the increasing rate of patients with severe underlying disease.

4. Kidney Failure

According to a 2006 study, acute renal failure occurs in thirty percent of patients who undergo cardiac surgery. Dialysis is needed in one percent of patients post-surgery. At the time of the study, no single method has been identified to prevent kidney failure in patients post cardiac surgery; however, the likelihood of renal failure depends on the health of the patient when discharged from the hospital. Similar studies note a sixty percent death rate from kidney failure after heart surgeries depending on the severity of the disease.