Coronary Bypass Surgery is an operation in which bypass, or bridging, is performed with a vessel taken from another part of the body in order to minimize damage as a result of occlusion or narrowing of the coronary artery that feeds the heart. In this operation, the vein is not changed. The new vein is sewn from the blocked area to the next area and blood flow is ensured. Thus, the blocked area is bypassed, hence the name of the surgery. Thus, it is aimed to ensure the necessary blood flow beyond the vein and to re-deliver the blood.
In bypass surgeries, the left mammary artery, leg vein or arm artery are generally used. These veins can be easily removed and used because they do not cause any dysfunction in the areas and organs where they are located. However, the most ideal vein for bypass surgery is the thoracic vein.
Coronary Bypass Surgery has been performed as an open heart surgery for years by cutting the breastbone and stopping the heart. Today, there have been changes with the developing technology and the experience we have gained as a result of these surgeries we have performed on thousands of patients. On the one hand, the harmful effects of the heart-lung machine we used during surgery were revealed and surgeries began to be performed while the heart was working (Beating Heart). In this case, there is no need to use a heart-lung machine, bypass surgery is performed while the heart continues to function normally. For this purpose, the vessel to be bypassed is fixed with a special stabilizer device and bypass surgery is performed while the heart is working. On the other hand, with the precision instruments developed and the experience gained, we started to perform these surgeries with small incisions. We now perform almost all coronary bypass surgeries from the armpit using a minimally invasive method. The logic of bypass surgery is to perform a bridging operation on the blocked coronary artery so that blood flows beyond the blockage. During this bridging, the right or left mammary artery is used. Arterial grafts remain open for longer years than vein grafts taken from the leg.
