Heart Bypass Surgery (Open Heart Surgery)

Heart bypass surgery is a type of surgery where the chest is opened and surgery is performed on the heart. It’s used to bypass – or ‘get around’ - the narrowed or blocked sections of your coronary arteries.

Your surgeon takes a blood vessel (a tube that blood moves through) and attaches it between the aorta (the main blood vessel leaving the heart) and a point along the coronary artery. In most cases, at least one of the blood vessels used as a bypass graft is an artery from your chest called the internal mammary artery. Blood vessels such as a vein from your legs and sometimes an artery from your arms are used for the other grafts.

You might need one graft, but some people need more. One, two, three and four grafts are often called single, double, triple or quadruple bypasses.

Do I need heart bypass surgery?

You may need bypass surgery if you’ve been diagnosed with coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease is when your coronary arteries (which move blood to the heart) get narrowed or blocked by a build-up of fatty material within their walls. 
The build-up of material is a condition called atherosclerosis, which can cause:

. angina- usually a pain or discomfort in your chest when your heart muscle isn’t getting enough blood

. heart attack – when the fatty material breaks down it can become a blood clot which can block your artery and cut off the supply of blood to your heart

. peripheral arterial disease (PAD) – when your arteries become narrow so blood can’t get to your leg muscles, causing pain in your calves, hips, buttocks and thighs – usually when you’re walking or exercising

. stroke - when the blood supply to your brain is blocked. 

What are the benefits of heart bypass surgery?

The benefits and risks of heart bypass surgery are different for everyone and depend on the seriousness of your heart disease, type of operation you need, your age, and your overall health. The benefits of surgery include:

. better sleep – thanks to improved symptoms of conditions like less pain from angina and peripheral arterial disease

. better mood and mental health – due to reduced risk of angina, heart attack, stroke, peripheral arterial disease and other conditions caused by coronary heart disease

. more energy – everyday tasks and physical activities become easier and more enjoyable.

What are the risks of heart bypass surgery?

All types of surgery come with risk. With heart bypass surgery, the risks can include:

. an irregular heartbeat

. bleeding

. blood clots

. complications after surgery like a heart attack or stroke

. general anaesthesia that can cause short-term effects after surgery like confusion, lack of concentration, sickness and dizziness

. wound infection.

If you’re worried or have more questions, we strongly encourage you to ask your doctor. They’ll be able to answer any questions specific to you and your surgery.

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