What is CABG surgery?
CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting) is an open-heart surgery that creates new pathways for blood to flow around blocked coronary arteries. A surgeon uses blood vessels from the chest, leg, or arm to bypass the blockages, restoring normal blood flow to the heart muscle. It is the most commonly performed cardiac surgery in the United States, with approximately 200,000 procedures per year.
The complete answer.
CABG is recommended when coronary arteries are severely narrowed or blocked, particularly when the left main artery is involved, multiple vessels are diseased, or when diabetes is present with multivessel disease. The FREEDOM trial (2012) demonstrated that CABG provides superior long-term outcomes compared to PCI (stents) in diabetic patients with multivessel coronary artery disease. The procedure typically requires 3-5 hours, a hospital stay of 5-7 days, and 6-12 weeks of recovery.
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