5-362.h3:

You had a bypass operation.

The heart is supplied with oxygen-rich blood via the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries are blood vessels that run around the outside of the heart. When coronary vessels have narrowed or closed, the blood supply in the heart is no longer right.

Bypass surgery involves using replacement blood vessels to bridge narrowed or closed coronary vessels. The replacement blood vessels then direct the blood past the locations concerned. As a result, the heart should be better supplied with blood. In your case the locations concerned were bridged using replacement blood vessels from your own body.

In your case arteries were used as replacement blood vessels. Arteries are blood vessels that transport blood away from the heart. They supply all the tissue in the body with oxygen-rich blood. Replacement arteries can come from the chest or the forearm.

To do the operation, an incision was made in your skin between your ribs and a tube was pushed into your chest. A camera is attached to the end of the tube. This camera then sends images to a screen during the examination. Instruments such as small forceps and scissors can be pushed through other small incisions.