Get to know the CABG procedure for coronary heart disease

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), also known as heart bypass surgery, is a procedure to restore blood flow to areas of your heart. Artery blockages can cut off blood flow, causing heart attacks or heart attack-like symptoms. CABG restores blood flow by using blood vessels from other parts of your body to create a detour around blockages.

Coronary artery bypass grafting, or heart bypass surgery, is a procedure used to treat coronary artery disease (CAD) or severe blockage of multi-vessel coronary arteries caused by fat deposits, tartar, or blood clots accumulating on the coronary artery walls. As a result, the coronary arteries become narrow, blocked, and hardened to the point of inadequate blood supply to the heart muscle, resulting in myocardial ischemina, angina pectoris, a heart attack, and potentially death.

What conditions are treated by this surgery?

The condition that’s most likely to lead to CABG is coronary heart disease, a group of conditions that includes heart attack and coronary artery disease. Other conditions under coronary heart disease include angina pectoris, which is chest pain caused by ischemia in your heart, and silent myocardial ischemia, which is heart ischemia without any symptoms.

Conditions that fall under coronary heart disease usually involve a narrowing of the arteries in your heart because of a buildup of a fatty, wax-like residue called plaque. As plaque builds up on the inside of your heart's arteries, the arteries become stiffer and narrower. If an area of plaque breaks open, blood clots can form there and create blockages in those arteries. Those blockages cause ischemia in parts of your heart, which can lead to a heart attack.

Part of preparing for CABG involves informing and educating you on what to expect and what you need to do before and after surgery to help you have the best possible outcome. Topics that you'll learn about include:

Medications

Your healthcare provider will discuss what medications you’re taking before the surgery. They’ll also tell you which medications to keep taking and which medications you should stop (and when to stop them). In some cases, they may switch you to different medications or start you on new ones.

How to prepare for surgery

Your healthcare provider will provide you with information and resources about how you can prepare for the procedure. This includes knowing what kind of help you’ll need at home, what you can and can’t eat after the procedure, necessities you’ll need to have at home and more. It also includes how to bathe (which often includes special soap) and groom yourself before the procedure.

What to expect after surgery

Your healthcare provider will also give you information and resources that detail what you can expect during your recovery. This includes how long it will take you to recover, how you are likely to feel, symptoms to watch for and more.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is used to treat people who have severe coronary heart disease (CHD) that could lead to a heart attack. CABG also may be used to treat people who have heart damage following a heart attack but still have blocked arteries.

Your doctor may recommend CABG if other treatments, such as lifestyle changes or medicines, haven't worked. He or she also may recommend CABG if you have severe blockages in the large coronary (heart) arteries that supply a major part of the heart muscle with blood-especially if your heart's pumping action has already been weakened.

CABG also may be a treatment option if you have blockages in the heart that can't be treated with angioplasty.

Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgeon will decide whether you're a candidate for CABG based on a number of factors, including:

• The presence and severity of CHD symptoms
• The severity and location of blockages in your coronary arteries
• Your response to other treatments
• Your quality of life
• Any other medical problems you have

CABG may be done on an emergency basis, such as during a heart attack.

RSU Hermina Kemayoran is present as a heart hospital with a team of experienced heart specialists and is supported by complete and up-to-date medical equipment, which can handle diagnostics, interventions, heart and blood vessel surgery, and arrhythmias.