Doctors use veins from your leg, or sometimes an internal mammary artery from your chest. During the operation, your heart is stopped, and machines take over the functions of breathing and pumping your blood. Bypass surgery usually takes four hours or more, depending on the number of arteries that must be bypassed. The initial period of recovery is spent in the intensive care unit. Once your condition is stable, you're moved to a regular hospital room.
Patients often go home within several days.
While bypass surgery helps most people live better lives, it's sometimes not a permanent solution. Other arteries can become clogged, and grafts may only last about ten or fifteen years. That's why it's imperative to follow up with a low-fat diet, exercise, no smoking, and stress management.