Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)

Bypassing a blocked blood vessel of the heart (coronary artery stenosis) with an arterial or venous graft (mostly taken from a vein of the leg)

Speciality Cardiac
Urgency elective, urgent, emergency
Duration 2 to 4 h
Blood Loss 500 to 2 litres
Anaesthesia General Anaesthetic, +/- Epidural
Procedures Arterial line, Central line, Nasogastric tube, Urinary catheter, Cardiopulmonary bypass, +/- Transfusion, Cell saver, Temporary pacing wires
Pain moderate-severe (++++)
Post-op Pain Epidural Infusion 3-5 days
Post-op Pain II Tablets, Suppositories, Injection (im, iv), PCA + Infusion
Hospital Stay 4 to 10 days
Full Recovery 8 to 12 weeks
Additional Info The use of an epidural is controversial due to the risk of an epidural haematoma / The mortality risk (risk to die: 1-50%) depends on the operation and other pre-existing diseases of the patient

Specialities