Heart attack - Having a coronary artery bypass

Heart attack

Having a coronary artery bypass

This is an operation to improve the blood flow to your heart.

In a bypass operation, a surgeon takes parts of healthy blood vessels from another part of your body (such as your leg) and uses them to take over from the narrowed arteries in your heart.

Bypass surgery usually takes between three and six hours. You'll be given a

general anesthetic
You may have a type of medication called a general anesthetic when you have surgery. It's given to make you unconscious so you don't feel pain.

general anesthetic, so you'll be asleep during the operation. Afterwards, you’ll recover in the intensive care department. You should recover quickly. You'll usually be walking after two days and home within 10 days.

If you've had a heart attack, having a coronary artery bypass can help you live longer.

Source:
Yusuf S, Zucker D, Peduzzi P, et al.
Effect of coronary artery bypass graft surgery on survival: overview of 10-year results.
Lancet. 1994; 344: 563-570.

¹ You're about 40 percent more likely to be alive in five years and 20 percent more likely to be alive in 10 years than you would be with just drug treatment.

But a coronary artery bypass is a serious operation and it may take you months to recover fully.

All operations have risks, and your surgeon will talk them through with you before you have a coronary artery bypass.

Anesthetics can have side effects. You may have an

allergic reaction
You have an allergic reaction when your immune system reacts to something outside your body that is normally harmless. You can be allergic to particles in the air, like pollen, which causes hay fever, or to chemicals, like detergents, which can cause a rash. People can also have an allergic reaction to drugs, like penicillin.

allergic reaction to the anesthetic or get breathing or heart problems. This is serious, but also very rare. If you have any allergies, you must tell your doctor.

In the first few days after surgery, you may have these problems:

Source:
Hueb W, Soares PR, Gersh BJ, et al.
The medicine, angioplasty, or surgery study (MASS-II): a randomized, controlled clinical trial of three therapeutic strategies for multivessel coronary artery disease: one-year results.
Journal of the American College of Cardiologists. 2004; 43: 1743-1751.

Pain in your chest
Pain where the surgeon removed a blood vessel
An irregular heartbeat
A heart attack
A stroke.

You may need mechanical help with breathing, or a blood transfusion.

In the weeks and months after surgery you may have these problems:

Source:
Yusuf S, Zucker D, Peduzzi P, et al.
Effect of coronary artery bypass graft surgery on survival: overview of 10-year results.
Lancet. 1994; 344: 563-570.

Source:
Loop FD, Lytle BW, Cosgrove DM, et al.
Sternal wound complications after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting: early and late mortality, morbidity, and cost of care.
Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 1990; 49: 179-186, discussion 186-187

Source:
Schachner T, Zimmer A, Nagele G, et al.
Risk factors for late stroke after coronary artery bypass.
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2005; 130: 485-490.

⁴

Infection. There's a small chance that the wound in your chest will become

infection
You get an infection when viruses, bacteria, fungi or other tiny organisms get into your body. These bugs are so tiny that you can't see them without a microscope. For example, an infection in your airways causes the common cold. And an infection in your skin can cause rashes such as athlete's foot.

infected and that you'll need to stay in hospital for a few extra days while you are given

antibiotics
These medications are used to help your immune system fight infection. There are a number of different types of antibiotics that work in different ways to get rid of bacteria, parasites and other infectious agents. Antibiotics do not work against viruses.

antibiotics.
Problems with your memory. Between 1 and 5 out of 100 people have problems with their memory.
A heart attack. There's a small chance you could have a heart attack. About 7 in 100 people who have this type of surgery have a heart attack within 30 days.
A stroke. There's a small risk that you could have a stroke.
Kidney problems. Bypass surgery can stop your

kidney
Your kidneys are organs that filter your blood to make urine. You have two of them, on either side of your abdominal cavity, toward your back.

kidneys working properly. They usually recover, but in rare cases you may need dialysis (where a machine does the work of your kidneys and gets rid of waste products in your blood).
Dying from your operation. There's a small chance that you could die. About 3 in 100 people die within 30 days of having bypass surgery.

Sources for the information on this page:

Yusuf S, Zucker D, Peduzzi P, et al.Effect of coronary artery bypass graft surgery on survival: overview of 10-year results. Lancet. 1994; 344: 563-570.

Hueb W, Soares PR, Gersh BJ, et al.The medicine, angioplasty, or surgery study (MASS-II): a randomized, controlled clinical trial of three therapeutic strategies for multivessel coronary artery disease: one-year results.Journal of the American College of Cardiologists. 2004; 43: 1743-1751.

Loop FD, Lytle BW, Cosgrove DM, et al.Sternal wound complications after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting: early and late mortality, morbidity, and cost of care. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 1990; 49: 179-186, discussion 186-187

Schachner T, Zimmer A, Nagele G, et al. Risk factors for late stroke after coronary artery bypass. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2005; 130: 485-490.

This information was last updated on Apr 09, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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