Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPurposeHow to PrepareWhat to ExpectRecoveryLong-Term Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Purpose
How to Prepare
What to Expect
Recovery
Long-Term Care
Vascular surgery entails going around a blocked or narrowed artery in order to restore blood flow to an organ (e.g., the heart or brain) or an extremity (most commonly, a leg). To create an alternative path for blood flow, a surgeon uses a natural or synthetic graft to connect a healthy artery to the narrowed artery beyond the blocked point.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photomiralex/Getty Images
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photo
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
miralex/Getty Images
What Is Vascular Bypass Graft Surgery?
Natural grafts, such as the saphenous vein (located in the leg) and the radial artery (located in the wrist) tend to last longer than synthetic ones (e.g., Dacron or polytetrafluoroethylene).
Various Surgical Techniques
While this technique minimizes infection risk and prevents a large scar from developing, it cannot be used to treat more than two coronary arteries during the same operation.
CABG Procedure: Everything You Need to Know
Contraindications
Be sure to review your health history, including any procedures you have had, with your surgical team.
Potential Risks
The Risks of General Anesthesia
Purpose of Vascular Bypass Graft Surgery
Examples of such tests include:
These instructions may include:
What to Expect on the Day of Surgery
When you arrive at the hospital, you will go to a pre-operative room where you will change into a hospital gown. A nurse will then record your vitals and place an IV in your arm or hand. This IV will be used to deliver fluids and medication both during and after the procedure. An arterial line (a thin catheter that goes in an artery in your wrist) may also be placed to monitor your blood pressure.
You will then wait in a holding area until the surgical team is ready for your procedure. When ready, you will be wheeled into the operating room on a gurney.
Ananesthesiologistwill give you medications to put you to sleep; a breathing (endotracheal) tube will then be inserted. A catheter to drain urine will be placed along with inflatable compression devices around your legs (to help prevent blood clots).
After waking up in the PACU, you will be moved to an intensive care room (e.g., cardiac ICU or neuro ICU).Here, a nurse will very carefully monitor your vital signs, including your blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels.
Once the breathing tube is removed, a nurse will encourage you to perform deep breathing exercises with a device called anincentive spirometer. This will help prevent pneumonia.
The surgical team will then help you get ready to go home or to arehabilitation facility(to regain strength after surgery).
Some general recovery instructions may include:
When to Seek Medical Attention
Your surgeon will give you specific guidelines for when to call or seek emergency care. General symptoms that warrant immediate attention include:
Some of these key lifestyle habits include:
A Word From Verywell
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Starr JE. Society for Vascular Surgery.Surgical Bypass.
Michigan Medicine.Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Minimally Invasive Methods.
University of California San Francisco.Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.
Vaidya Y, Bishop MA, Ludhwani D.Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Of The Gastroepiploic Artery. In:StatPearls[Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.
Young J, Patel SK.Peripheral Vascular Bypass. In:StatPearls[Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.
Anagnostopoulos A, Ledergerber B, Kuster SP, et al.Risk Factors for Incident Vascular Graft Infections.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2017;4(Suppl 1):S653. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofx163.1740. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofx163.1740
American Heart Association.Symptoms and Diagnosis of PAD.
Michigan Medicine.Cardiac Surgery: Tests Prior to Surgery.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.
Cleveland Clinic.Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Procedure Details.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG).
University of Cincinnati.Cerebral Bypass Surgery.
Society for Vascular Surgery.What is Vascular Disease?.
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