Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass surgery is done without stopping the heart. In selected patients during the surgery the heart, surgeon makes a small incision between the ribs without cutting the breast bone. Specialized surgical instruments including an endoscope which is a tube with a camera and light attached, are inserted through the incision.

The surgeon then prepares an artery on the chest wall and uses sutures to connect the prepared chest artery to the blocked coronary artery. More than one bypass graft may be required based on the number of blockages and their locations.

For this procedure, the patient does not need to be put on a heart-lung machine. It may be possible even in selected patients with a weak or dilated heart. The entire procedure lasts from 2.5 to 3.5 hours.

After the surgery the patient’s condition is closely monitored in the cardiac critical care unit for around 24 hours. The patient is then moved to a regular hospital room and is discharged generally three days after the surgery.

Minimally invasive surgery causes less pain, lower risk of complications and enables faster recovery. Patients can resume normal physical activities within 10 to 15 days.

The procedure is as effective as the traditional surgical method. After the surgery patients experience excellent results and remain symptom free for many years.

Nowadays robotic cardiac surgery is being done in selected patients with still faster and better recovery.