Bypass surgery is a procedure that allows blood restoration to the heart. This procedure uses a healthy blood vessel taken from either the leg, arm, chest or abdomen and connects it to other arteries. This is how the blood is bypassed around the diseased area. After coronary bypass surgery, normal blood flow resumes.
Bypass surgery is used to help reduce the risk of having heart diseases, such as heart attack. Symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath are significantly reduced after having the surgery.
Keep in mind though, that this procedure does not cure underlying heart diseases that caused the blockages in the first place. Even with having done with surgery, it is still important that the individual makes permanent life style changes to lower his/her cholesterol and reducing the chances of developing a blood clot.
The entire procedure takes between3 to 6 hours in the operating room and requires general anesthesia. The number of bypasses depends on the location and severity of each individual. A large incision is made in the chest while blood flow is diverted through a heart-lung machine. The surgeon then takes a healthy blood vessel and attaches the ends to the blocked artery so that the blood is diverted.
After the procedure, it will take a couple of days to recover in the intensive care unit. You will be discharged from the hospital in a week if there are no complications. It will take a while to resume normal activity; you must take extreme caution as to not get an infection from the chest wound.
Generally, individuals who receive the surgery will remain symptom-free for about 10 to 15 years. Below is a brief image of coronary bypass surgery.
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