Coronary artery
disease (CAD):
The
blood vessels that supply pure oxygenated blood and nutrients to the heart are
called coronary arteries. Inappropriate lifestyle habits like excess intake of junk
foods containing trans fats or excess alcohol intake and lack of exercise may
cause coronary artery diseases. The fatty material gets deposited along the coronary
artery wall, narrowing the artery, & resulting in reduced supply of
oxygenated blood. The medical condition is treated with the procedure called
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).
What is Coronary artery bypass graft surgery?
CABG
surgery or Coronary artery bypass graft surgery involves the grafting a blood
vessel from a different part of the body, either from the chest, leg or an arm,
and placed around the area of the blocked coronary artery, thus creating a
bypass. The purpose of the surgery is to resume the flow of oxygenated blood to
the heart by creating a new pathway. CABG is performed to improve the blood
supply to the heart.
Who requires a CABG
Coronary artery
bypass grafting is recommended for:
·
Coronary artery bypass grafting is
performed to treat people with coronary heart disease. The blockage in the
arteries leads to heart attacks.
·
The patient whose heart pump rate is
weak due to blockage in the coronary artery will need to undergo a CABG.
·
If medicines or other changes like diet
or other related habits have not worked then CABG is recommended.
·
An attempt with percutaneous coronary
intervention (PCI) or coronary angioplasty to treat blockages wasn’t successful,
then the patient will have to opt for CABG.
·
Severity of CHD symptoms, location of
blockages, poor response to the other treatments and the overall health status
of the patient may also point towards a need for a CABG.
CABG Procedure
CABG
surgery is a type of open heart surgery
performed by Cardiothoracic surgeons. A healthy blood vessel from different part of
body like leg, forearm, chest or wrist is used to bypass the blocked blood
vessel and create an alternate channel for smooth supply of oxygenated blood to
the heart muscle.
Before
the procedure, the medical team will monitor the vital signs of the patient
like blood pressure, heart rhythm, and blood oxygen levels. The procedure is
performed under general anesthesia. An incision is made in the middle of the
chest and cut through the breastbone to spread apart the rib cage to gain
access to the chest cavity. The sternotomy is followed by cutting through the pericardium
to access the heart for bypass procedure.
The
surgeon removes a portion of a healthy blood vessel or graft from leg, forearm
or chest. He then attaches it just below the blockage in the affected coronary
artery by sewing the graft. A new channel is thus established for a smooth
supply of oxygenated blood to the heart. Similar procedure is repeated on other
blocked vessels, if present to enable smooth blood flow.
The
surgery lasts for 4 to 5 hours depending on the number of blockages to be
treated. The heart-lung machine is disconnected at the end of the surgery and the
heart starts beating on its own with the normal flow.
Recovery Post Surgery
The
patient is transferred to the ICU and monitored very closely for 4 - 5 days. The
vital signs like the pulse, heart sound, blood pressure and oxygen are closely
monitored and recorded. It may take 2-3 months for full recovery from the surgery.
If the surgery is a minimally invasive one, then recovery will be quicker. The doctor’s instructions and follow-up care
have to be strictly followed. The patient can get back to routine activities
like driving in 6-8 weeks.
