What is coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery?

• A. A procedure to remove a portion of the heart muscle
• B. The most common cardiac surgery in which occluded coronary arteries are bypassed with the patient's own venous or arterial blood vessels, or synthetic grafts
• C. A non-surgical treatment using medications only
• D. A surgery that widens the aorta

Answer: (B)

CABG is a surgical way to restore blood flow to heart muscle when coronary arteries are blocked. It creates new routes for blood by bypassing narrowed or blocked segments using grafts taken from the patient’s own vessels (such as a vein from the leg or an internal mammary artery) or, less commonly, synthetic grafts. These grafts are attached to the aorta or other major vessels and to the coronary arteries beyond the block, so blood can reach the heart muscle that’s at risk.

This procedure is used when there are significant or multiple blockages and medical therapy alone isn’t enough to relieve symptoms or reduce risk. It’s often performed with the heart-lung machine to circulate blood while the heart is temporarily stopped, though there are off-pump techniques as well.

It’s not a procedure to remove heart muscle, not a purely medical treatment with drugs, and not a surgery to widen the aorta.