What Is Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)?
Aug 06, 2021
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Song Qiang
Introduction
The standard medical term for heart bypass surgery is coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG); colloquially, it is referred to as “bypass surgery.” When a coronary artery becomes narrowed or completely blocked—impeding blood flow—a surgeon creates an alternative pathway by grafting a segment of blood vessel (typically taken from another part of the body) to bypass the obstructed section. This allows blood to flow around the blockage, restoring adequate perfusion to the heart muscle. This procedure is known as cardiac bypass surgery—or more precisely, coronary artery bypass surgery.
The standard medical term for “heart bypass surgery” is coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), commonly referred to simply as “bypass surgery.” When a coronary artery becomes narrowed or completely blocked, blood flow is impeded or halted. In CABG, a surgeon creates a new pathway—“a bypass”—by grafting a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body to reroute blood around the obstructed segment. Thus, instead of flowing through the diseased, narrowed, or blocked artery, blood travels via this newly constructed conduit—hence the term “heart bypass” or “coronary artery bypass” surgery.
First introduced in the 1970s, CABG is relatively recent in medical history, yet it has become a routine and well-established surgical procedure. The incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) continues to rise both globally and domestically. For patients with particularly severe CAD—where percutaneous coronary intervention (e.g., stenting) or medical therapy is ineffective or contraindicated—CABG remains the treatment of choice. Surgical techniques have advanced significantly over time, including the development of off-pump CABG (OPCAB), wherein the heart continues beating during surgery without cardiopulmonary bypass.
Modern CABG no longer requires stopping the heart, representing a major technical advancement since its inception. Graft materials have also evolved: while saphenous veins from the leg were traditionally used, surgeons now routinely harvest arterial grafts—including the radial artery from the arm and, most importantly, the internal thoracic (mammary) artery. These improvements have enhanced both the long-term efficacy and safety profile of CABG.
