Coronary Bypass Surgery

Coronary arteries, the vessels that bring blood to the heart muscle, can become clogged due to fatty buildup called plaque. This can decrease or stop the blood flow, leading to chest pain or a heart attack.

The Coronary bypass procedure is usually called a CABG. It is a type of heart surgery that reroutes, or "bypasses," the blood around these clogged arteries.

Most coronary bypass surgeries involve a long incision right down the center of the chest. The surgeon then cuts the breastbone (sternum) and opens the rib cage to expose the heart.

During the surgery, the patient's heart is temporarily stopped. A heart-lung machine performs the functions of the heart and lungs during the surgery. It continuously replenishes the oxygen depleted blood and returns oxygen-rich blood back into the circulatory system.

In certain cases, surgeons can perform the surgery on a beating heart without the heart lung machine.

A segment of a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body, usually a long vein in the leg or an artery in the chest wall is used for the bypass.

One end of the vessel is sewn onto the large artery leaving the heart -- the aorta.

The other end of the vessel is attached or "grafted" to the coronary artery below the blocked area.

The bypass thus increases the blood flow and reduces angina and the risk of heart attack.

A patient may undergo one, two, three or more bypasses, depending on how many coronary arteries are blocked

Most people spend a day or two in the intensive care unit after coronary bypass surgery and are then discharged from the hospital within a week. Expected recovery period is about six to 12 weeks.