How is bypass surgery performed?
During heart bypass surgery a blood vessel is removed or redirected from one area of the body and placed around the area of narrowing to “bypass” it and restore blood flow to the heart muscle. This vessel is called a graft. Clinton’s doctors took vessels from his chest cavity and one from his leg to use as grafts. This type of surgery, called “CABG” (coronary artery bypass graft), is the most commonly performed major surgery in the U.S. Clinton’s surgery was what’s called “on-pump” surgery, meaning his heart is stopped for a period of time, in this case for 73 minutes, according to his doctors. During most heart bypass surgeries, a surgeon makes an incision (about six to eight inches) down the center of the breastbone to get direct access to the heart. The patient is connected to a heart-lung bypass machine, which allows for circulation of blood throughout the body during surgery. The heart is stopped and the surgeon then performs the bypass procedure described above. The heart is gene
