Bypass Surgery
Your doctor may recommend CABG surgery if one or more of your coronary arteries are blocked, to help improve blood flow and preserve heart function. CABG typically requires opening the chest cavity and using a heart-lung bypass machine to circulate the blood and add oxygen. A new path is created for blood to reach areas of the heart downstream from the original blockage.
The arteries or veins commonly used to bypass the blockages are:
- Internal mammary artery from inside the chest wall. The surgeon frees one end of the artery from the inner surface of the chest wall and sews it to the coronary artery downstream from the blockage.
- Saphenous vein from the legs. The surgeon uses a piece of the vein and carefully sews one end to the aorta and the other end to just below the blockage.
- Radial artery from the inside of the lower arm. The surgeon uses a piece of the artery and carefully sews one end to the aorta and the other end to just below the blockage.
Beating-heart Surgery
Beating-heart surgery is different from the standard CABG surgery. Beating-heart surgery (BHS) does not require that your heart be stopped during the bypass procedure. The off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) technique requires the same incision as traditional CABG surgery. OPCAB eliminates the use of a heart-lung bypass machine and may not require temporary clamping of the aorta.
