Heart Surgeons Dr. Clay Beggerly   Surgery Animation Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

The Most Commonly Performed "Open Heart" Operation

Coronary artery bypass grafting or “CABG” (often pronounced cabbage) is the most commonly performed “open heart” operation in the United States.

Cardiothoracic surgeons perform the procedure to bypass blockages or obstructions of the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries are the blood vessels that supply the heart with oxygen and nutrients. Fats and cholesterol can accumulate inside these small arteries and the arteries can gradually become clogged. This build up of fat and cholesterol plaque is called atherosclerosis.

When one or more of the coronary arteries become partially or totally blocked, the heart does not get an adequate blood supply. CABG is done by opening the chest wall to operate on the heart. Once the heart is exposed, the patient is connected to a heart-lung bypass machine, which takes over the pumping action of the heart. This allows surgeons to operate on a still heart. During CABG, a healthy artery or vein from another part of the body is connected, or grafted to the blocked coronary artery. The grafted artery or vein bypasses (goes around) the blockage to the heart muscle.