Coronary artery bypass surgery overview


 * Associate Editors-in-Chief:, Mohammed A. Sbeih, M.D. [mailto:msbeih@perfuse.org]

Synonyms and keywords: Coronary artery bypass grafting, and colloquially heart bypass, bypass, bypass surgery, open heart surgery, or CABG (pronounced like cabbage), aortocoronary bypass (ACB). The term Coronary Artery Graft Surgery (CAGS) is often used outside the United States and should not be confused with Coronary Angiography (CAG). OPCAB refers to Off-pump coronary artery bypass, a procedure during which the patient is not placed on extracorporeal circulation ("the pump").

Overview
Coronary artery bypass surgery is a surgical revascularization procedure that is used to circumvent or bypass blockages in the epicardial coronary arteries associated with acute coronary syndromes (including ST elevation MI, non ST elevation MI, unstable angina) and stable angina. The technique was pioneered by Argentine cardiac surgeon René Favaloro at the Cleveland Clinic in the late 1960s. As part of the procedure, arteries or veins from elsewhere in the patient's body are grafted from the aorta to the coronary arteries to bypass atherosclerotic narrowings and improve the blood supply to the coronary circulation supplying the myocardium (heart muscle). This surgery is usually performed with the heart stopped, necessitating the usage of cardiopulmonary bypass. However, recent advances allow the procedure to be performed with the heart beating and through smaller incisions. Currently, about 500,000 CABGs are performed in the United States each year.