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Expert Heart Bypass Surgery in Southern California

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is also called heart bypass surgery. Your doctor may recommend CABG as the best way to restore blood flow to your heart muscle if you have severe coronary artery disease. CABG enables blood to flow around blocked coronary arteries by creating a new route.

At Dignity Health Southern California, our doctors believe humankindness heals. We specialize in patient-centered heart bypass surgery in Southern California at five convenient, modern locations. Use our online Find a Doctor tool and make an appointment.

Why We Perform CABG

Your doctor may suggest CAGB surgery if:

  • You have experienced a massive heart attack that requires immediate treatment to save heart muscle.
  • You have blockages in multiple arteries of your heart.
  • You have had a heart catheterization procedure, but it wasn’t effective.

Types of Heart Bypass Surgery We Perform

Depending on your specific heart condition and overall health, your doctor may recommend one of the following procedures:

  • Minimally invasive, robot-assisted heart bypass surgery. Your surgeon will operate with the assistance of a computer-controlled surgical machine. Through small incisions placed around the chest, your surgeon will make very precise repairs to your heart.
  • Beating-heart (off-pump) surgery. Your surgeon will operate without stopping your heart. You will receive medications that slow down your heartbeat instead. This option if often preferred for those at high risk for stroke.
  • Traditional on-pump surgery. Your surgeon will make a large incision in your chest and breastbone to operate on your heart. A heart-lung machine will circulate your blood temporarily so your surgeon can work on a still heart instead of a beating heart.

What to Expect from CABG at Dignity Health Southern California

Heart bypass surgery is a major procedure. Minimally invasive bypass surgery usually involves shorter hospital stays and fewer complications than open bypass surgery.

The surgical risks associated with CABG include:

  • Low-grade fever and chest pain for six months or more after the procedure (called post-pericardiotomy syndrome)
  • Memory problems
  • Kidney or liver complications
  • Post-surgical heart rhythm irregularities
  • Stroke
  • Heart attack

Recovery After CAGB

When you wake up from heart bypass surgery, you will be cared for in a specialized intensive care unit for 24 hours or more. You may need help breathing from a ventilator. 

Once you can breathe on your own, you will be moved to a cardiac care unit. Most people who have heart bypass surgery stay in the hospital for five to seven days. Take it easy on yourself and expect to recover slowly over the course of weeks or months.

As you recover, you may notice you have much more energy. This is because heart bypass surgery restores fresh, oxygenated blood to your heart muscle, which enables it to pump better. Be aware of how you feel as you recover and let your Dignity Health Southern California doctor know if you have any concerns. We’ll support you every step of the way. 

Exceptional skill meets authentic patient-doctor relationships, as our Dignity Health doctors perform CABG in Southern California.