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Heart bypass surgery
Definition:
This surgery is done to bypass clogged arteries supplying the heart. Alternative Names:
Bypass surgery - heart; CABG; Coronary artery bypass graft Text Continues Below
Description:
Coronary arteries are the small blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients. Fats and cholesterol can accumulate inside these small arteries, and the arteries can gradually become clogged. This buildup of fat and cholesterol plaque is called atherosclerosis. When one or more of the coronary arteries becomes partially or totally blocked, the heart does not get an adequate blood supply. This is called ischemic heart disease or coronary artery disease (CAD). It can cause chest pain (angina). Sometimes CAD does not cause pain until the blood supply to the heart becomes critically low, and the muscle begins to die. The first symptom of CAD in this case may be a potentially deadly heart attack. Symptomless CAD is especially common in diabetics. OVERVIEW OF THE PROCEDURE Heart bypass surgery creates a detour or "bypass" around the blocked part of a coronary artery to restore the blood supply to the heart muscle. The surgery is commonly called Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, or CABG (pronounced "cabbage"). After the patient is anesthetized and completely free from pain, the heart surgeon makes an incision in the middle of the chest and separates the breastbone. Through this incision, the surgeon can see the heart and aorta (the main blood vessel leading from the heart to the rest of the body). After surgery, the breastbone will be rejoined with wire and the incision will be sewn closed.
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