Heart Bypass Surgery (CABG): an Overview

Heart Bypass Surgery (CABG): an overview

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) also known as heart bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to improve the poor blood supply of the blood vessels to the heart. Poor blood flow occurs when the arteries supplying blood to heart tissues, called coronary arteries are blocked or narrowed. A build-up of cholesterol plaque or fatty deposits within the walls of the arteries causes coronary arteries disease (CAD). CABG procedure lowers the risk of serious complications for those who have obstructive coronary artery disease.

CABG uses healthy blood vessels or grafts from another part of your body and creates a new route by connecting them to blood vessels above and below the blocked artery, bypassing the narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. Blood bypasses the blockage and starts flowing through the new connected healthy vessels. The new vessel is generally taken from the chest, arm, or leg.

Types of heart bypass surgery: -

Conventional heart Bypass surgery: - This is a conventional method of doing heart bypass surgery. Its results are very promising such as-

• • Reduced chest pain and shortness of breath
• • Improves the delivery of blood and oxygen to the heart
• • Can lessen the risk of coronary heart attack
• • Less threat of vascular complications and stroke

This surgery is performed to gain access to the heart by making an incision in the middle of the chest. The heart is beating during the procedure. It is also known as off-pump CABG surgery.

Minimally invasive heart Bypass surgery: - This is a new technique performing for heart bypass surgery. For this procedure, you need not be put on a heart-lung machine. In this surgery, the heart surgeon will make a 3 inch surgical cut on the left part of your chest between your ribs to reach your heart. Muscles in this area are pushed apart. The surgeon then finds and puts together an artery in your chest wall (inner mammary artery) to connect to your coronary artery that is blocked.

Who is the right candidate for minimally invasive heart bypass surgery?

Minimally invasive CABG is not meant for everyone. Your surgeon will decide whether to go for this surgery or not based on several factors which include age, type of heart disease and its severity, results of some tests done before surgery, lifestyle, and medical history

Benefits of Minimally Invasive CABG (Heart Bypass Surgery)

There are multiple benefits of this surgery such as:

• • Better quality of lifeless chest pain
• • Lower death rate – especially among high-risk patients
• • Less need for transfusion of blood products
• • Shorter ICU and hospital stay
• • Early recovery
• • The smaller chest incision scar

Risks of CABG (Heart Bypass Surgery)

While complications from coronary bypass surgery are relatively rare nowadays, your team will make possible efforts to protect you against them and treat them if they develop which include:

• • Blood clots
• • Breathing problems
• • Kidney problems
• • Pain
• • Heart Stroke
• • Bleeding and infection at the incision
• • Memory loss
• • Infection

These risks are affected by many factors like your age, any other medical condition. Your surgeon will explain these risks before starting the procedure.

Heart Surgery Recovery

Most people will need to stay in hospital for at least 5 days after having a conventional coronary artery bypass graft. You ought to have a follow-up appointment, typically about 6 to eight weeks after your operation.

Generally, you should be capable to sit on a chair after 2 days, walk after at least three days, and walk down the stairs after five or 6 days. You should be able to go back to most of your ordinary activities after about 6 weeks, which includes running, riding.

Recovery after minimally invasive coronary bypass surgery is faster and usually, a person is back to his/her normal routine after 2-3 weeks.

The Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery Department at Aakash Healthcare are equipped with cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art infrastructure in the field of Interventional Cardiology, Cardiac Surgeries both adult and paediatric. Our team of Cardiologists and Cardiac surgeons are experienced in minimally invasive valve replacement, key-hole surgeries, beating heart coronary artery bypass grafting, and awake Cardiac Surgery. For any type of cardiac disease and surgery like heart valve treatment or heart-valve surgery in Delhi, Aakash Healthcare Dwarka is the best facility available.