What Is Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting?
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a type of
surgery called revascularization (re-VAS-kyu-lar-i-ZA-shun), used to improve
blood flow to the heart in people with severe
coronary
artery disease (CAD).
CAD occurs when the arteries that supply blood to
the heart muscle (the coronary arteries) become blocked due to the buildup of a
material called plaque (plak) on the inside of the blood vessels. If the
blockage is severe, chest pain (also called
angina),
shortness of breath, and, in some cases,
heart
attack can occur.
CABG is one treatment for CAD. During CABG, a
healthy artery or vein from another part of the body is connected, or grafted,
to the blocked coronary artery. The grafted artery or vein bypasses (that is,
it goes around) the blocked portion of the coronary artery. This new passage
routes oxygen-rich blood around the blockage to the heart muscle. As many as
four major blocked coronary arteries can be bypassed during one surgery.
Overview
CABG is the most common type of open-heart surgery
in the United States, with more than 500,000 surgeries performed each year.
Doctors called cardiothoracic (KAR-de-o-tho-RAS-ik) surgeons perform this
surgery.
CABG isnt used for everyone with CAD. Many
people with CAD can be treated by other means, such as lifestyle changes,
medicines, and another revascularization procedure called
angioplasty.
CABG may be an option if you have severe blockages
in the large coronary arteries that supply a major part of the heart muscle
with bloodespecially if the hearts pumping action has already been
weakened.
CABG may also be an option if you have blockages in
the heart that cant be treated with angioplasty. In these situations,
CABG is considered more effective than other types of treatment.
If youre a candidate for CABG, the goals of
having the surgery are to:
- Improve your quality of life and decrease angina
and other symptoms of CAD
- Resume a more active lifestyle
- Improve the pumping action of the heart if it has
been damaged by a heart attack
- Lower the chances of a heart attack (in some
patients, such as those with diabetes)
- Improve your chance of survival
Repeat surgery may be needed if grafted arteries or
veins become blocked, or if new blockages develop in arteries that werent
blocked before. Taking medicines as prescribed and making lifestyle changes
that your doctor recommends can lower the chance of a graft becoming
blocked.
In people who are candidates for the surgery, the
results are usually excellent, with 85 percent of people having significantly
reduced symptoms, less risk for future heart attacks, and a decreased chance of
dying within 10 years following the surgery.
March 2007 |