INSIDE THE HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM – WHEN YOUR DOCTOR SAYS BYPASS SURGERY
Since its introduction in 1967, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery has enabled thousands of people to survive severe coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis) occurs when fatty deposits form in the coronary arteries, restricting flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart. Over time, atherosclerosis may lead to a form of chest pain called angina…or to heart attack.
In bypass surgery, doctors reroute blood flow around arterial blockages, using blood vessels grafted from another part of the body, usually a leg.
The procedure has become so common that people tend to forget just how serious it is.
One surgeon slices open the chest, cracking the breastbone (sternum) to reach the heart, while another “harvests” the arteries or veins to be grafted. The heart is stopped for several hours as doctors attach the grafts.
Bypass surgery generally requires a hospital stay of four or more days, plus a one-month convalescence.
Bypass surgery is often the best therapy for heart disease, but it is not the only approach, other options to consider…
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