Heart Bypass Surgery

CABG Surgery in India - Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Explained

Coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG, is a common type of heart surgery. This short explains how the procedure helps to restore blood flow to the heart muscle when an artery is blocked.

What is coronary bypass surgery?

This surgery is for people with coronary artery disease, where the arteries supplying blood to your heart have become narrowed or blocked.

• The goal. The aim is to bypass the blocked section of a coronary artery. This improves the blood supply to the heart muscle.
• The graft. A surgeon uses a healthy blood vessel from another part of your body, such as your leg, arm, or chest. This vessel is called a graft.
• Restoring flow. The graft is attached above and below the blocked area. This creates a new path for blood to flow to the heart.
• Multiple bypasses. If you have several blocked arteries, you may need more than one bypass graft during the same operation.

What to expect from the procedure

CABG is a major operation performed under general anaesthesia. It is sometimes called open-heart surgery.

• The incision. The surgeon usually makes an incision down the centre of your chest and separates the breastbone to access the heart.
• Heart-lung machine. In many cases, your heart is stopped temporarily. A heart-lung bypass machine takes over, circulating and oxygenating your blood during the surgery.
• Off-pump surgery. In some cases, the surgery can be done on a beating heart. This is known as off-pump bypass surgery and is not suitable for everyone.
• Recovery in hospital. After surgery, you will usually spend one or two days in an intensive care unit for close monitoring. A total hospital stay is often about a week.

Whether CABG is the right treatment for you depends on your specific condition, the number of blocked arteries, and your overall health. A cardiac specialist can advise you after reviewing your medical reports and recent imaging.