Consult your physician if you have questions regarding any of these risk factors. Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Click to enlarge Coronary artery bypass surgery was developed in the 1960's to treat coronary artery disease. During coronary artery bypass surgery, one end of a graft is sewn surgically to the aorta and the other end is attached to a point past the obstruction in the coronary artery. The bypass graft carries oxygenated blood from the aorta around the blockage in the coronary artery to the heart muscle. Coronary artery bypass surgery restores blood flow to the blocked area of the heart.
Cardiopulmonary bypass involves surgically sewing vein or artery grafts on a stopped heart.
A heart lung machine circulates and oxygenates the blood while the heart is stopped during the operation. A ventilating machine provides oxygen to the lungs. The aorta is clamped to stop the flow of blood into the heart, so the surgeon can operate in a bloodless field. Cooling the heart decreases the oxygen demand of the heart during the operation. Beating heart surgery involves surgically sewing vein or artery grafts on a heart that beats during the operation.