Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

Coronary Artery Bypass GraftCoronary Artery Bypass Graft or CABG Heart Surgery is a surgical procedure performed when the blood is unable to flow easily through the arteries supplying blood to the heart. This surgery helps to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death.

In this surgery, arteries or veins from elsewhere a (section of vein from the leg, or an artery from your chest or forearm) in the patient's body are grafted to the coronary arteries around a section of your blocked artery to reroute, or "bypass," blood around clogged arteries to improve blood flow and oxygen to the heart.

WHEN IS BYPASS SURGERY REQUIRED?

Bypass surgery may be required for the following conditions:

• If there is disease in the left main coronary artery, which supplies blood to the left ventricle.
• If there are severe blockages in more than two coronary arteries.
• If you have had a previous angioplasty or stent placement that hasn’t been successful, or you have had an angioplasty but the artery has narrowed again (restenosis)

WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE PROCEDURE?

• Before the procedure, you will undergo some routine blood tests, an ECG, a chest X-ray and an angiography. This will give your doctor a clear picture of your current health status.
• In the operation theatre, you will be given general anesthesia for a painless procedure. A heart-lung machine - referred to as a "pump" because it continues to mechanically pump oxygen and nutrients to the body during the surgery will ensure blood flow through your body while your heart is stopped and being operated upon. A graft (a long piece of vein or an artery) will be taken from your leg or the inside of your chest wall or forearm and attached to one end of the graft will be attached to a coronary artery below your blocked area. The procedure can take from 2 to 6 hours, depending on the number of bypasses needed.
• Off-pump or beating-heart surgery: This is another technique for performing bypass surgery. It reduces the need for large incisions or a heart-lung machine This procedure allows surgery to be done on the still-beating heart using special equipment to stabilize or quieten the area of the heart, the surgeon is working on.
• Minimally invasive surgery: In this procedure, a surgeon performs coronary bypass through several smaller incisions in the chest. This technique is used only under certain conditions. Variations of minimally invasive surgery are called port-access or keyhole surgery.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER SURGERY?

After CABG heart surgery, you will be moved to an intensive care unit (ICU) where you would stay for 1 to 3 days. You can expect to be discharged from the hospital in approximately 7 days. You can return to your job in 4 to 6 weeks, but strenuous work should be avoided. After your surgery, you should make healthy lifestyle changes. These include a diet low in fat and cholesterol, cessation of smoking and regular exercises.

FOLLOW UP CARE

Follow up care is an essential element of the overall treatment plan. Regular checkups are advised to detect any changes in health as early as possible.

Special Care Units / Diagnostic Equipment / Facilities

• Treadmill Test (TMT)
• Echocardiography (Colour Doppler)
• Stress Echocardiography
• 24 Hour Holter Monitoring
• Ambulatory BP Monitoring
• Stress Thallium Test
• 64 slice CT angiography
• Coronary and peripheral angiograph
• Electrophysiology Study
• Endovascular Suite (For the first time in India)
• Flat Panel Cath Labs with stent boost technology  

Team of Specialists: Cardiology

• Dr. B KalraConsultant- Cardiology at Artemis Health Institute, GurgaonView Profile

• Dr. Niraj KumarConsultant- Interventional Cardiology View Profile

• Dr. Baldev Singh SekhonConsultant- Cardiothoracic SurgeryView Profile

• Dr. Saurabh JunejaConsultant- Cardio Vascular SurgeryView Profile