Coronary artery bypass surgery

Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage"), is a surgical procedure to treat <a href="/facts/Coronary_artery_disease/szCt0nVx">coronary artery disease</a> (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve <a href="/facts/Angina_pectoris/rT1brdwS">chest pain</a> caused by CAD, slow the progression of CAD, and increase life expectancy. It aims to bypass <a href="/facts/Stenosis/X0x2tAk7">narrowings</a> in heart arteries by using arteries or veins <a href="/facts/Vessel_harvesting/MkVQc5Ig">harvested</a> from other parts of the body, thus restoring adequate blood supply to the previously <a href="/facts/Ischemia/ySL9xbCl">ischemic</a> (deprived of blood) heart.
There are two main approaches. The first uses a <a href="/facts/Cardiopulmonary_bypass_machine/UQ8FxFa0">cardiopulmonary bypass machine</a>, a machine which takes over the functions of the heart and lungs during surgery by circulating blood and oxygen. With the heart in <a href="/facts/Cardioplegia/88eoEfMf"> cardioplegic arrest</a>, harvested arteries and veins are used to connect across problematic regions—a construction known as <a href="/facts/Surgical_anastomosis/3lFTufrK">surgical anastomosis</a>. In the second approach, called the <a href="/facts/Off-pump_coronary_artery_bypass/yrILHRGp">off-pump coronary artery bypass</a> (OPCAB), these anastomoses are constructed while the heart is still beating. The anastomosis supplying the <a href="/facts/Anterior_interventricular_branch_of_left_coronary_artery/4frM6k2Q">left anterior descending branch</a> is the most significant one and usually, the <a href="/facts/Left_internal_mammary_artery/R7cLRzu5">left internal mammary artery</a> is harvested for use. Other commonly employed sources are the right internal mammary artery, the <a href="/facts/Radial_artery/aRw0Rqy3">radial artery</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Great_saphenous_vein/A1AtxFLK">great saphenous vein</a>.
Effective ways to treat chest pain (specifically, <a href="/facts/Angina/rT1brdwS">angina</a>, a common symptom of CAD) have been sought since the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1960s, CABG was introduced in its modern form and has since become the main treatment for significant CAD. Significant complications of the operation include bleeding, heart problems (<a href="/facts/Myocardial_infarction/xoGw0qcG">heart attack</a>, <a href="/facts/Arrhythmia/ooEpr46Q">arrhythmias</a>), <a href="/facts/Stroke/DwpjdzY0">stroke</a>, infections (often <a href="/facts/Pneumonia/Jw0KquTA">pneumonia</a>) and <a href="/facts/Kidney_failure/gsqb5nos">injury to the kidneys</a>.

Coronary artery bypass surgery open-in-new

Coronary artery bypass surgery