Heart disease health centre

Introduction

This information is for people who have stable angina. It tells you about coronary artery bypass graft, a treatment used for stable angina.

Does it work?

Coronary artery bypass graft is an operation to improve the blood flow to your heart, which should help your angina symptoms. However, this is a big operation with serious risks. We haven't looked at the research on these treatments in as much detail as we've looked at the research on most of the treatments we cover. (To read more, see Our Method.)

What is it?

Angina is usually treated with drugs. But your doctor may suggest bypass surgery if:^[58]

• You still get chest pain even though you are taking tablets for angina

• An X-ray shows narrowing in the arteries in your heart. Your doctor is more likely to suggest an operation if all three of your heart's arteries have narrowed, or if the narrowing involves your heart's main artery (the aorta)

• The left side of your heart isn't working as well as it should

• You get chest pain whenever you do anything that needs physical effort

• You have a narrowed artery that can't be widened by an operation called coronary angioplasty.

In a bypass operation, a surgeon takes parts of healthy blood vessels from another part of your body (such as your leg) and uses them to take over from the narrowed arteries in your heart. Coronary artery bypass graft is sometimes called CABG for short (pronounced cabbage).

Bypass surgery usually takes between three and six hours. You'll be given a general anaesthetic, so you'll be asleep during the operation. Afterwards, you’ll recover in intensive care. You'll usually be walking after two days and home within 10 days.

But a coronary artery bypass is a serious operation and it may take you months to recover fully.

We’ve prepared some extra information for people considering having a coronary artery bypass. To find out more, read Coronary artery bypass.

How can it help?

If you have angina, having a coronary artery bypass can:^{[59][14][60][61][62][63]}

• Reduce your chest pain and stop you feeling so breathless. About 9 in 10 people have no angina after their operation. Half the people who have bypass surgery still have no symptoms of angina five years later.

• Reduce the amount of tablets you need to take for angina. You may even be able to stop taking them altogether. You may need to keep taking tablets for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Taking aspirin will reduce the risk of your new, healthy blood vessels clogging up.

• Generally make you feel better. You may be more able to go out and see friends or have hobbies.