Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) or better known as Bypass in medical terms is an abbreviation for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG). Before CABG is performed, patients must go through many stages before entering the bypass surgery stage. Meanwhile, CABG is a catheter-based technology, like angioplasty and stent placement, and is successful.
The CABG procedure is carried out by creating a new pathway around the arteries that are narrowed or blocked. Creating this alternative blood vessel pathway is necessary to restore smooth blood flow, so that the heart muscle can continue to receive an adequate supply of oxygen and nutrients.
With heart bypass surgery, the surgeon will create a new path for oxygen-rich blood to flow smoothly to the heart muscle. This procedure involves taking healthy blood vessels from your legs, arms or chest and connecting them to the outside of blocked arteries in the heart. However, more patients are treated in the Cardiac Cath Lab and ultimately sent for heart surgery. Some patients may be treated repeatedly using interventional techniques, and cardiac surgery may be delayed for years. However, coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) remains the mainstay of treatment for coronary artery disease. Patients underwent CABG to reduce anginal symptoms and improve survival.
This surgical procedure involves making an incision in the middle of the chest (midline sternotomy). The sternum itself must be cut and retractors used to stretch the chest open to visualize the chest cavity. Cardiopulmonary Bypass, the patient is placed on cardiopulmonary bypass. The vein used to replace the coronary artery is the Saphenous Vein. The saphenous vein is usually removed endoscopically (using a small camera inserted into a small incision) or using a jump incision (a series of small incisions separated by intact skin). The blood vessels selected as bypass channels must meet certain criteria. The blood vessel removed should not interfere with circulation, it should be able to reach from the aorta to the coronary arteries, and it should be the right size to attach to the coronary artery.
This article was written by Dr. med. Dr. Yanto S Tjang, SpBTKV, Subsp. VE(K), PhD (Specialist in Thoracic, Cardiac and Vascular Surgery at Grha Kedoya Hospital)