Get Back to Your Life with Heart Bypass Surgery in Las Vegas, NV

If you have severe coronary artery disease, your doctor may recommend heart bypass surgery to restore blood flow to your heart muscle. During coronary artery bypass surgery (or coronary artery bypass graft surgery), your surgeon will create a new route for blood to flow around the blocked coronary arteries.

At Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican, we provide comprehensive care for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery in Las Vegas and Henderson, NV. Find a cardiologist or cardiac surgeon associated with St. Rose Dominican to learn more about getting your heart health back.

 

Reasons for Heart Bypass Surgery

You may need coronary artery bypass surgery if: 

  • You have blockages in multiple arteries of the heart
  • You previously underwent a heart catheterization procedure, but it did not fix the problem
  • You have experienced a massive heart attack that requires immediate, aggressive intervention 

There are generally three types of heart bypass surgery:

  • Traditional on-pump surgery: Also called open heart bypass surgery, this is the most common type of heart bypass surgery and involves a surgeon making a large incision in your chest to operate on the heart while a heart-lung machine temporarily circulates your blood.
  • Beating-heart (off-pump) surgery: During this surgery, your heart does not stop, but the surgeon uses medications to slow your heartbeat down while they operate on it. This technique may reduce the chance of a stroke.
  • Robot-assisted heart bypass surgery: This minimally invasive heart surgery relies on the assistance of a computer-controlled surgical machine, so the surgeon can see a 3-D image of the surgical area.

 

Recovery after Heart Bypass Surgery at Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican

You should expect to be in the hospital for several days after coronary artery bypass surgery. Minimally invasive bypass surgery will likely involve shorter hospital stays and fewer complications compared to open bypass surgery.

When you wake up from heart bypass surgery, you will be in a specialized intensive care unit (ICU) for at least 24 hours. You may be breathing with the assistance of a ventilator machine. After you wake up and can breathe on your own, you will be moved to a cardiac care unit. Most patients stay in the hospital for five to seven days.

Your care team will provide specific instructions regarding your post-surgery diet, exercise, and activity levels. You should expect to recover slowly over several weeks or even months. Hopefully, you will find yourself with more energy and zest for life from an improvement in circulation.

Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican offers award-winning care for coronary artery bypass surgery in Las Vegas and Henderson, NV.