CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft)

The coronary artery bypass graft is a surgical procedure which is used to treat coronary heart disease, it aims to improve blood flow to an obstructed coronary artery. It is indicated when the coronary artery has 50-90 % blockage.

In CABG a healthy artery or vein from the patient’s body is connected to the blocked coronary artery, the connected artery or vein bypasses the blocked portion of heart vessels to get more oxygen- rich blood supply around the blockage of the heart muscle for proper functioning.

Goals of CABG

• To reduce the risk of death from coronary heart disease
• To reduce angina and its symptoms
• To lessen the risk of heart attack
• To treat blockages that can’t be treated with angioplasty
• To improve the quality of life
• To improve physical performance

After CABG it takes about 4-6 weeks mostly to heal, so during the period of recovery, it is very important to follow these precaution to reduce the problem and to prevent recurrence of a heart attack:

• Medicine prescribed by the doctor should be taken timely.
• Cleaning of chest incision and graft incision should be done regularly according to the instruction of the doctor.
• Don’t exert yourself too much, avoid to sit and stand for a long period.
• Avoid lifting heavy weight and activity involving too much use of shoulder joint for a few weeks.
• Don’t travel for at least 2-4 week.

It should be very clear that CABG does not cure heart disease so it is important to adopt a healthy lifestyle to reduce the further complication of heart.

When to see a doctor:

• High-grade fever during the recovery period
• Cough that does not go away
• Dizziness, weakness, and fainting
• Irregular pulse rate
• Pain in chest
• Bleeding or pus-like drainage from the incision