Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery is done to by-pass clogged arteries supplying the heart.
When is Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Performed?
Coronary arteries are the small blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients. Fats and cholesterol can accumulate inside these small arteries, and the arteries can gradually become clogged. (This buildup of fat and cholesterol plaque is called atherosclerosis.) When one or more of the coronary arteries becomes partially or totally blocked, the heart does not get an adequate blood supply. This is called ischemic heart disease or coronary artery disease (CAD) and usually requires coronary artery bypass surgery to restore normal blood flow.
Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery creates a detour or "bypass" around the blocked part of a coronary artery to restore the blood supply to the heart muscle. The surgery is commonly called Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, or CABG (pronounced "cabbage").
Learn more about Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery and the Heart Center of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.