Bypass Surgery- Types, Procedure and Recovery

A coronary Bypass Surgery or CABG is a surgical treatment method used by heart surgeons around the world for diverting blood around clogged or narrowed arteries. It helps in improving the oxygen supply and blood flow to the heart, thus improving the heart function and reducing the risk of any future heart damage. It is one of the most common types of heart surgery used by the surgeons for treating heart blockages. Let us further understand the basics behind this popular surgery.

Why is It Done?

Heart Bypass surgery is considered by the cardiologists when one or more of your coronary arteries are blocked. There are many additional reasons why your doctor might consider it:

• You are experiencing a severe chest pain that is being caused by the narrowing down of your coronary arteries. This leaves your heart short of oxygen even in case of light exercise.
• The main pumping chamber of your heart or the left ventricle is not functioning properly.
• There is a blockage in the left main coronary artery which is the main artery supplying most of the blood to heart’s left ventricle.
• The artery blockage cannot be treated through angioplasty.
• You have undergone a previous angioplasty but the same may have been unsuccessful or the artery may have narrowed again.

It is also one of the go-to treatments in case of an emergency when the patient is not responding to all the other treatments.

What is the CABG procedure?

In a CABG Surgery, a blood vessel is taken from another body part (mostly the leg, arm or chest) and attached to the blocked coronary artery. This new part is attached either below or above the narrowed blockage. It is now called a graft. Trend is now to use more arterial grafts than venous grafts from leg. The right number of grafts needed by your heart can only be determined as per the severity of your heart disease and the extent to which your blood vessels are blocked. The patient is kept under general anesthesia during the whole procedure. The whole procedure takes about 3 to 6 hours in total. Today, with advancements in technology, this surgery is performed without stopping the heart through a special device. This helps in the faster recovery of the patients and a lower risk of complications. This is the reason why CABG is also known as Beating- Heart Surgery.

Types of Bypass Surgery

There are three types of Bypass surgery that can be performed on a person:

• On Pump Bypass surgery: This is the traditional time-honored medical procedure of stopping the heart while the blood flow is maintained by the cardiopulmonary bypass machine. During this duration, the graft procedure is performed by the surgeon following which the heart is restarted again.
• Off-Pump Bypass Surgery: This is a relatively new procedure in which the area around the blocked coronary artery is stabilized and the blood vessel is grafted while the heart is still beating. It does not require the use of cardiopulmonary bypass machine.
• Minimal Invasive Bypass surgery: This coronary bypass surgery involves making small incisions on the chest rather than cutting the breastbone as in other surgeries. It involves lesser pain and quicker recovery.

What Are The Associated Risks of This Surgery?

As with any other open heart surgery this procedure too has some risks associated with it. The chances of a successful coronary bypass surgery have improved largely in the recent times with better technology and experience. Now, most of the good hospitals perform surgery with less than 1% death rate. Still, some of the complications associated with this surgery are:

• Arrhythmia
• Bleeding
• Infections
• Blood Clots
• Kidney Failure

What is the Recovery Process?

Recovery from CABG surgery takes between 6 to 12 weeks even without any complications. This is the minimum time a breastbone needs to heal. The patient is kept is kept in the ICU for the first two days after the surgery so as to monitor the vitals. Post your hospital stay, it is best for the patient to take plenty of rest and listen to his or her doctor regarding all physical activity. Many hospitals also recommend cardiac rehabilitation to their patients to teach their patients how to take care of their heart and body post operation.

If you are looking for advice and opinion related to all cardiac health and heart procedures, contact the heart surgeons and cardiologists at Accord Hospitals, Faridabad for the same.