Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

CABG is a surgical procedure in which one or more blocked coronary arteries are bypassed by a blood vessel graft to restore normal blood flow to the heart. These grafts usually come from the patient's own arteries and veins located in the chest (thoracic), leg (saphenous) or arm (radial). The graft goes around the blocked artery (or arteries) to create new pathways for oxygen-rich blood to flow to the heart. The goals of the procedure are to relieve symptoms of coronary artery disease, enable the patient to resume a normal lifestyle and to lower the risk of a heart attack or other heart problems.

     Normal Heart
      (view larger)

Heart with Blocked Arteries (view larger)	Heart After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (view larger)