Las Vegas Cardiology - Valley Hospital Medical Center

Bypass Surgery

Mending Broken Hearts:
Bypass Surgery Made the Difference

"You need bypass surgery" are not the most friendly words to hear from your doctor. But each year, nearly 600,000 Americans confront the need for coronary artery bypass surgery.

What is coronary artery bypass surgery?
Surgeons perform bypass surgery to treat severe blockages in the coronary arteries. Bypass surgery may be done to restore blood flow to the heart muscle, stop chest pain, and reduce the risk of heart attack.

First, the surgeon must divide the breastbone to expose the heart. To complete the bypass, a segment of a vein in the leg or arm is taken and used to build a detour around the blockage. One end of the vein is sewn into the aorta, and the other end is sewn into the coronary artery below the blockage. The vein can be spared because there are many others that can perfom the same function. In many patients, the surgeon uses the internal mammary artery as the bypass graft. There are two internal mammary arteries, left and right, that lie close to the heart on the back of the breastbone. They can be used alone or along with a vein from the leg or arm. The heart muscle must be in a resting state while the bypass grafts are sewn in place. For this reason, a device called the heart/lung machine does the work of the heart and lungs, circulating blood and oxygen throughout the body during the operation. Once the bypass grafts are sewn into place, the heart/lung machine is no longer needed and the chest is closed. The operation takes about three to five hours, including preparation time.

Bypass Surgery

More Information