Why is coronary bypass surgery a good thing?
I need this answered for my science class i understand that it helps prevent another heart attack but why else is it a good thing? Answer : There are a number of ways to treat blockages of the heart (coronary) arteries. First, you can treat medically by giving medicines that decrease the load on the heart. This decreases the amount of oxygen it needs and therefore the amount of blood it needs. This can help improve the ability to exercise, but in the end, does nothing to remove the blockages or improve blood flow. Second, the blockages can be approached from inside the arteries by cardiac catherization. Very fine catheters are sent up the main arteries of the leg (usually) and used to shoot dye into the heart arteries. Once the blockages are mapped, there are a great number of very specialized catheters that can either push open the blockages (angioplasty) or actually remove blockages (atherectomy). The arteries are then usually propped open using a special metal tube, called a stent.
