Skip banner links and go to contentU.S. Department of Health & Human Services * National Institutes of Health
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute:  Diseases and Conditions Index
Tell us what you think about this site
  Enter keywords to search this site. (Click here for Search Tips)  
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health Diseases and Conditions Index NIH Home NHLBI Home About This Site NHLBI Home NHLBI Home Link to Spanish DCI Tell us what you think
 DCI Home: Heart & Vascular Diseases: Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Types

      Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Skip navigation and go to content
What Is ...
Types
Other Names
Who Needs
What To Expect Before
What To Expect During
What To Expect After
What Are the Risks
Key Points
Links
 

Types of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Traditional Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

This is the most common type of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). It's used when at least one major artery needs to be bypassed. During the surgery, the chest bone is opened to access the heart. Medicines are given to stop the heart, and a heart-lung machine is used to keep blood and oxygen moving throughout the body during surgery. This allows the surgeon to operate on a still heart. After surgery, the heart is restarted using mild electric shocks.

Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

This type of CABG is similar to traditional CABG in that the chest bone is opened to access the heart. However, the heart isn't stopped, and a heart-lung machine isn't used. Off-pump CABG is sometimes called beating heart bypass grafting. This type of surgery may reduce complications that can occur when a heart-lung machine is used, and it may speed up recovery time after surgery.

Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

This surgery is similar to off-pump, but instead of a large incision to open the chest bone, several small incisions are made on the left side of the chest between the ribs. This type of surgery is used mainly for bypassing the vessels in front of the heart. It's a fairly new procedure, which is performed less often than the other types. This type of surgery is not for everybody, especially if more than one or two coronary arteries need to be bypassed.


What Is ... Previous  NextOther Names


Email this Page Email all Sections Print all Sections Print all Sections of this Topic


Skip bottom navigation and go back to top
Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Blood Diseases | Heart and Blood Vessel Diseases | Lung Diseases | Sleep Disorders
NHLBI Privacy Statement | NHLBI Accessibility Policy
NIH Home | NHLBI Home | DCI Home | About DCI | Search
About NHLBI | Contact NHLBI

Note to users of screen readers and other assistive technologies: please report your problems here.