Coronary Bypass Surgery

Coronary bypass surgery is the most commonly performed open heart surgery in the United States.  It is used to surgically treat coronary artery disease, a hardening and narrowing of the arteries that supply oxygen and nutrients to heart muscle.  This condition can result cause pain, create pressure and can lead to a heart attack.

The purpose of coronary bypass surgery is to create a new avenue for blood around a blockage by using arteries or veins from other parts of the body to transport oxygen and nutrients to heart.  It is not intended to repair or remove blocked coronary arteries.  Successful coronary bypass surgery can result in a dramatic increase in blood flow to the heart muscle, reducing the symptoms of
coronary artery disease. The procedure can improve a person's quality of life and prolong life, especially when combined with a healthy lifestyle.

The Procedure

A coronary bypass surgery generally lasts between three and six hours and requires general anesthesia. Typically, three or four coronary arteries are bypassed during surgery, and sometimes as many as six or seven bypasses may be done.

Most coronary bypass surgeries are still done conventionally -- a chest incision is made and the sternum is divided so that the rib cage can be opened to expose the heart. Although the procedure is called open-heart surgery, surgeons don't actually open the heart. They work on the outside of the heart.

Typically a heart-lung machine is used. This machine takes over the function of the heart and lungs during surgery. It allows the surgeon to place replacement grafts that provide detours for blood flow around blocked coronary arteries. In coronary bypass surgery, this pause in heart function allows the surgeon to make the delicate maneuvers that are necessary.

Blood vessel grafts are obtained from other arteries and veins in the body. Typically an artery in the chest is used. It's diverted from the chest wall, and one end is attached to a diseased coronary artery beyond the blockage.

Once the procedure is completed, the heart is restarted. When the surgical team is satisfied that the heart is beating strongly again, the heart-lung machine is disconnected. The chest incisions are then closed.

The sternum will knit back together in six to eight weeks and will be just as strong once the healing process is complete.

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