What happens when someone is no longer a candidate for heart surgery?

My father had a double bypass five years ago. He just had another heart attack and was told due to complications of undiagnosed diabetes, that he is no longer a candidate for surgery. Only one of his arteries are working, he now has to take medication to keep his blood pressure high enough to work his heart, and apparently the top part of his heart is not working. He seems fine, but they tell us this is very serious. It seems basically like he is definitly going to die, but noone seems to want to say that (the nurses and doctors). If he is going to, is it soon, or could he go on for years? I've never known anyone who has had a relative who couldn't be fixed with a stent or bypass. Help.

You need to ask your doctor this question. He may need more advanced care (nursing home, assisted living, etc.) depending on his condition. Ask about long term prognosis. He may be able to recover some limited function.

they are put on special diet

Doctors are all about the cure and not the patient. Maybe you should go to your dads next cardiology appointment and ask the doctor point blank" What is going on? What are our next steps? Approx. how long will the treatments work? " And if your family is ready to discuss Hospice, ask if Hospice is an option. Diabetes is a horrible disease that does so much damage to the body if left untreated. Good luck to your family and God Bless.

hi there

When you said, your dad has a double bypass, that means, only 2 arteries was bypassed. Normally, the heart is supplied by 3 major coronary branches: left anterior descending, right coronary, and the left circumflex arteries. there are minor branches which can also be bypassed.

How many of these coronary arteries were involved? why was only two vessels bypassed? are the other arteries normal, or they were just two small to be bypassed?

If your dad is still functional, meaning, he can go about his life, he can be maintained on cardiac medications, which is also a form of treatment.

What is not clear to me, is whether your dad needs an intervention but cant undergo stenting or bypass; or does it mean that your dad doesnt need any form of intervention because he is ok?

HOw is the heart of your dad? is it big or too weak? there are other unconventional ways, like the transmyocardial laser revascularization, or probably gene therapy.