Health

What Is Heart Bypass Surgery And Its Types?

Heart bypass surgery is another title for a specific type of cardiac surgery. In this situation, the procedure is termed formally Coronary Artery Bypass surgery (CABG).
Written by Medhaavi Mishra

Heart bypass surgery is another title for a specific type of cardiac surgery. In this situation, the procedure is termed formally Coronary Artery Bypass surgery (CABG). It is the most common type of open heart surgery. This procedure is used to “bypass” clogged arteries that supply the heart, allowing the heart to get the blood it requires to operate. 

The number of bypasses performed is also used to identify this type of cardiac bypass. For example, a “double bypass” involves two arteries, a “triple bypass” involves three, a “quadruple bypass” involves four, and a “quintuple bypass” involves five. More bypasses indicate that more arteries are obstructed and cannot adequately feed the heart. Let us look into each bypass surgery in detail in this article. 

Why Is Coronary Bypass Surgery Done?

The coronary arteries supply the heart with nutrients and oxygenated blood. Atherosclerosis is a condition that causes hardened plaque to form in the coronary arteries. Over time, this plaque narrows the arteries. This can reduce blood flow to the heart and produce chest pain (angina). Plaque can also increase the likelihood of blood clot formation. These clots can block blood flow via an artery, resulting in a heart attack.

A coronary artery bypass surgery is performed when a physician uses blood arteries from another section of your body to bypass a blocked artery. As a result, your heart may receive more blood and oxygen. So, connect to the best hospitals for heart bypass surgery in Hyderabad to know the coronary bypass procedure, heart bypass surgery cost, and recovery time for a healthy and happy heart.

Single Bypass Surgery

Single bypass surgery is performed when one artery in the heart is blocked. Single heart bypass surgery is open heart surgery, creating a new path for blood and oxygen to reach your heart. Most people get entirely recovered within 12 weeks (about 3 months) of the operation. In addition, the death rate is minimal, and just 2-3% of persons who had heart bypass surgery die due to the procedure.

Double Bypass Surgery

A “double bypass” is so named because two coronary arteries must be bypassed. Double bypass surgery is open heart bypass surgery in which blood is redirected around two wholly or partially blocked arteries in the heart (called coronary arteries).

The operation, known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, entails extracting an artery from another body region. The artery is then inserted into the heart to prevent blockage and restore blood flow.

Angina, left-sided heart failure, Arterial stenosis, and Failed angioplasty are reasons for double bypass surgery. Before performing double bypass surgery, testing would be required to establish which blood arteries might be collected safely for the graft. 

Triple Bypass Surgery

Triple bypass surgery is an open-heart technique to treat three obstructed or partially blocked coronary arteries in the heart. It is a kind of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Each vessel is bypassed individually to provide blood to the heart muscle.

Triple bypass surgery can not cure or prevent coronary artery disease, although it can alleviate symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath. However, it can also enhance overall cardiac function and quality of life and lower the chance of mortality.

The most prevalent reason for triple bypass surgery is coronary artery disease (CAD) caused by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis, often known as “artery hardening,” occurs when cholesterol and other lipids build up on the inner walls of damaged blood vessels. This buildup causes a waxy thickening in the heart vessel known as plaque.

Atherosclerosis can develop in any blood vessel in the body, and it can cause a heart attack if it affects the arteries in the heart.

Quadruple Bypass Surgery 

Quadruple bypass surgery is an open-heart medical procedure to enhance blood flow to the heart muscle. This heart bypass surgery recovery time is 6 to 12 weeks. It is usually performed if the patient has a severe condition or less invasive therapies have failed.

When four blood arteries supply the heart become clogged, a quadruple bypass cardiac surgery is performed. Surgery must redirect blood past the blockages using veins from other body parts. Each of these grafted vessels is known as a bypass graft.

During the procedure, your heart is stopped, so the surgeons may work. However, until the surgery is completed, and recovery begins, a machine continues to give oxygen to the blood and pump it throughout the body.

Quintuple Bypass Surgery

Quintuple bypass surgery is a complicated open-heart procedure. It is performed to treat five badly clogged main arteries that supply the heart.

Blood vessels are extracted from another body region and replaced with the existing heart vessel under general anesthesia. This redirects blood flow around the blockage, increasing blood supply to the heart. 

Quintuple coronary artery bypass graft surgery is another name for quintuple bypass surgery. Quintuple bypass surgery is not appropriate for every patient. Your doctor may not recommend this operation if you:

  • You are overweight.
  • You recently suffered a heart attack.
  • You have diabetes, kidney failure, chronic obstructive lung disease, or cancer as a pre-existing condition.

Final Words

Heart bypass surgery can help lower your possibility of having a heart attack or other complications. In addition, you will feel better and be able to resume your normal activities once you have recovered. However, to avoid future blockage, you must maintain a balanced diet, exercise, and possibly take medication. 

Consult the best hospitals for heart bypass surgery in Hyderabad to know what to expect from the procedure, how to prepare, what complications can occur, and how long it takes to recover.

About the author

Medhaavi Mishra