Heart Bypass Surgery

What’s heart bypass surgery?

A coronary artery bypass graft involves taking a blood vessel from another part of the body (usually the chest, leg or arm) and attaching it to the coronary artery above and below the narrowed area or blockage. This new blood vessel is known as a graft.

Indications

• Left main disease greater than 50%
• Three-vessel coronary artery disease of greater than 70% with or without proximal LAD involvement.
• Two-vessel disease: LAD plus one other major artery.

Open-heart surgery is also done to:

• repair or replace heart valves, which allow blood to travel through the heart
• repair damaged or abnormal areas of the heart
• implant medical devices that help the heart beat properly

Today, more than 95 percent of people who undergo coronary bypass surgery do not experience serious complications, and the risk of death immediately after the procedure is only 1–2 percent.

Healing time will take at least two to three months. You can expect to have good and bad days during this time and you may feel tired, irritable, anxious, depressed or simply not quite yourself for a few weeks. Don't be worried if you express your moods and feelings more than before.