What is bypass

Following the operation: You spend a day or two in the intensive care unit. You have numerous monitors attached to you that are located by your bed. You have a couple of intravenous lines to keep your body fluids and electrolyte levels in balance.

The medical and nursing staff are trained to look out for any complications or potential complications. They keep an expert eye on your heart tracings, and treat any irregularities if they arise. You have a nasogastric tube a thin tube passed through your nose and into your stomach to drain any excess stomach fluids, and a tube into your bladder to drain off and measure your urine output.

You are shown how to care for your wounds. Often, washing with soap and water is enough. You are given advice on angina chest pain , such as how to treat it and when to get medical help. Your doctor advises on when you can return to work, resume driving, and exercise strenuously.

You are shown breathing exercises and other exercises by a physiotherapist. Before you leave hospital, your doctor should provide guidelines about restarting sexual activity. You should be given advice on positions that reduce exertion during sex, and what to do if you experience angina.

Complications of heart bypass surgery Some of the possible complications of heart bypass surgery include: Haemorrhage Infection of the wound Heartbeat irregularities arrhythmia Kidney failure Fluid build-up in the lungs pleural effusion Blood clots in the leg veins thrombosis Stroke. Taking care of yourself at home Be guided by your doctor, but general suggestions include: Take all prescribed medications strictly as directed by your doctor. Activities such as sneezing and coughing could cause some discomfort around your wound site.

Don't be alarmed, as this is normal. Watch for any possible complications. Some of the symptoms of infection for example may include redness, drainage of pus, heat, or increasing pain at your wound site.

Other symptoms that may indicate problems include difficulty breathing, or a swollen and tender calf muscle. You will need to wear an elastic support stocking on the leg that the vein was removed from. Raise your leg regularly to reduce swelling. Your breastbone needs at least three months to properly heal. Strictly avoid lifting, pulling or pushing heavy objects for at least six to eight weeks after the operation.

Follow your doctor's recommendations on diet and exercise. Eat a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals and cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, swordfish and sea mullet.

In particular, avoid saturated fats found in animal products including dairy foods and hidden fats in pastries, biscuits, fried foods, snack foods, chocolate and cocoa. Don't smoke. Long-term outlook after heart bypass surgery Your wellbeing in the long term depends on your commitment to healthier lifestyle changes.

Some common experiences for patients in the weeks and months following heart surgery include: Constipation caused by medications, inactivity and the impact of surgery on the body. Excessive sweating, particularly at night. Emotional problems, including stress, depression and reduced self-esteem. Thinking difficulties, such as reduced concentration and shortened attention span Most patients will be free of angina after surgery and will have a lower risk of heart attack, and they will usually be able to lead a more active lifestyle.

Other forms of treatment The main alternatives to heart bypass surgery include: Drug therapy — the idea of treatment is to increase the blood flow through your arteries and discourage further deposits of fatty substances. Along with drug therapy, your doctor will ask you to lose weight if overweight , stop smoking and modify your diet. Blood vessels, or grafts, used for the bypass procedure may be pieces of a vein from your leg or an artery in your chest.

An artery from your wrist may also be used. Your doctor attaches one end of the graft above the blockage and the other end below the blockage. Blood bypasses the blockage by going through the new graft to reach the heart muscle. This is called coronary artery bypass surgery. Traditionally, to bypass the blocked coronary artery, your doctor makes a large incision in the chest and temporarily stops the heart.

To open the chest, your doctor cuts the breastbone sternum in half lengthwise and spreads it apart. Once the heart is exposed, your doctor inserts tubes into the heart so that the blood can be pumped through the body by a heart-lung bypass machine.

The bypass machine is necessary to pump blood while the heart is stopped. While the traditional "open heart" procedure is still commonly done and often preferred in many situations, less invasive techniques have been developed to bypass blocked coronary arteries.

Other minimally invasive procedures, such as keyhole surgery done through very small incisions and robotic procedures done with the aid of a moving mechanical device , may be used. Your doctor uses coronary artery bypass graft surgery CABG to treat a blockage or narrowing of one or more of the coronary arteries to restore the blood supply to your heart muscle. If the blood supply to your heart muscle continues to decrease as a result of increasing blockage of a coronary artery, you may have a heart attack.

There may be other risks depending on your specific medical condition. Be sure to discuss any concerns with your doctor before the procedure. You will be asked to sign a consent form that gives your permission to do the test. Read the form carefully and ask questions if anything is unclear. Along with a review of your health history, your doctor will do a complete physical exam to make sure you are in otherwise good health before having the procedure.

You may need blood tests or other diagnostic tests. You will be asked to not eat or drink for 8 hours before the procedure, generally after midnight. You may be asked to shower with a soap or special cleanser the night before and the morning of surgery.

Tell your doctor if you are sensitive to or are allergic to any medicines, iodine, latex, tape, or anesthetic medicines local and general. Tell your doctor about all medicines prescription and over-the-counter , vitamins, herbs, and supplements that you are taking. Tell your doctor if you have a history of bleeding disorders or if you are taking any blood-thinning medicines, aspirin, or other medicines that affect blood clotting.

You may be told to stop some of these medicines before the procedure. Your doctor may do blood tests before the procedure to find out how long it takes your blood to clot. If you smoke, quit smoking as soon as possible. This will improve your chances for a successful recovery from surgery and benefit your overall health. Coronary artery bypass graft surgery CABG requires a stay in a hospital.

Procedure may vary depending on your condition and your doctor's practices. The anesthesiologist will continuously monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level during the surgery. Once you are sedated put into a deep sleep , a breathing tube will be put into your throat and you will be connected to a ventilator, which will breathe for you during the surgery.

A healthcare professional will insert an intravenous IV line in your arm or hand. Other catheters will be put in your neck and wrist to monitor your heart and blood pressure, as well as to take blood samples. Once all the tubes and monitors are in place, your doctor will make incisions cuts in one or both of your legs or one of your wrists to access the blood vessel s to be used for the grafts. He or she will remove the vessel s and close those incision s.

The doctor will cut the sternum breastbone in half lengthwise. He or she will separate the halves of the breastbone and spread them apart to expose your heart. To sew the grafts onto the very small coronary arteries, your doctor will need to stop your heart temporarily.

Tubes will be put into the heart so that your blood can be pumped through your body by a heart-lung bypass machine. Once the blood has been diverted into the bypass machine for pumping, your doctor will stop the heart by injecting it with a cold solution.

When the heart has been stopped, the doctor will do the bypass graft procedure by sewing one end of a section of vein over a tiny opening made in the aorta, and the other end over a tiny opening made in the coronary artery just below the blockage. Living With. Related Issues. Heart bypass surgery - slideshow Medical Encyclopedia Also in Spanish.

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