Arteries carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body, and coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscles.
When the coronary artery gets blocked, a new channel is created to bypass the blockage, which is called bypass graft surgery.
It uses a working blood vessel from another part of the body -- the graft -- to channel blood around the blocked area.
When plaque buildup narrows an artery to about 70% of its normal size, the artery is essentially blocked.
A blockage can cause a decrease in the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart and over time can lead to debilitating chest pain or a heart attack.
Less severe blockage can be relieved by angioplasty and stenting.
But severe blockage usually requires bypass surgery.
Also, if angioplasty proves unsuccessful, or the position of the blockage is too difficult to access by angioplasty, or there are severe blockages in multiple major vessels, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is needed.
A graft is a blood vessel that is created to bypass a blocked artery.
It is usually taken from the internal mammary artery in the chest, the saphenous veins from the leg, or in rare instances from the radial artery in the arm.
The graft is attached above and below the area in the artery where there is a blockage, so that the blood can use the new, unblocked path to flow freely to the heart.
When the coronary artery gets blocked, a new channel is created to bypass the blockage, which is called bypass graft surgery.
It uses a working blood vessel from another part of the body -- the graft -- to channel blood around the blocked area.
When plaque buildup narrows an artery to about 70% of its normal size, the artery is essentially blocked.
A blockage can cause a decrease in the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart and over time can lead to debilitating chest pain or a heart attack.
Less severe blockage can be relieved by angioplasty and stenting.
But severe blockage usually requires bypass surgery.
Also, if angioplasty proves unsuccessful, or the position of the blockage is too difficult to access by angioplasty, or there are severe blockages in multiple major vessels, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is needed.
A graft is a blood vessel that is created to bypass a blocked artery.
It is usually taken from the internal mammary artery in the chest, the saphenous veins from the leg, or in rare instances from the radial artery in the arm.
The graft is attached above and below the area in the artery where there is a blockage, so that the blood can use the new, unblocked path to flow freely to the heart.