Bypass Surgery as a Treatment Option for Coronary Artery Disease

HealthBreak, brought to you by CHI Saint Joseph Health.

In coronary artery disease, the blood vessels around the heart become blocked by plaque. When the blockages are significant and multiple, a bypass surgery is often the best treatment option. Dr. George Dimeling explains.

Coronary artery disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. 

The way we've treated it has changed over the years. The surgical management has changed. The tubes that we use to go around the blockages have different characteristics and we have discovered that arterial bypasses, whether they're taken from the chest or from the radial artery in the arm, last longer. 

We don't want you to have to come back for stents in five or six years;we want you to get back to life, get back to what you want to do and not think about your heart anymore.

For more information, go to CHISaintJosephHealth.org. I'm Adrian Flores.