A bypass is the most common heart surgery performed and is a very effective and almost always successful. The following is a step by step walkthrough of a coronary bypass procedure.
An incision is made in the middle of the breastbone.
A segment of the saphenous vein is taken out
from the leg.
The heart is connected to a heart-lung
machine; the heart is stopped with drugs.
Segments of the saphenous vein are used to connect
the aorta
and the coronary
arteries, bypassing any blocked areas.
The
heart is restarted. The heart-lung machine is disconnected and the incision
is stitched.
