Coronary arteries are the small blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients. The arteries can gradually become clogged with the buildup of fat and cholesterol. As a result, the heart does not get an adequate supply of blood resulting in ischemic heart disease or coronary artery disease (CAD). It can cause chest pain or angina.
Sometimes CAD does not cause pain until the blood supply to the heart becomes critically low, and the muscle begins to die. The first symptom of CAD, in this case, may be a potentially deadly heart attack. |
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Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, or CABG Surgery is the technique of using blood vessels from another part of the body to bypass obstructed arteries supplying blood to the heart. Either your leg veins or internal mammary artery can be used for the bypass surgery. This surgery helps to restore normal blood flow to the heart muscle affected by the blockage.
During bypass surgery, a new graft vessel, which is a healthy artery or vein taken from the patient's leg, arm or chest, is surgically removed and sewn around the areas of the blockage. The graft vessel supplies oxygenated blood to the part of the heart that needs it, thereby "bypassing" the blocked arteries and restoring blood flow to the heart muscle.
Patients who benefit from CABG surgery are those with obstructed arteries, particularly involvement of all three main coronary arteries with associated heart muscle damage.
The goals of the bypass surgery are to relieve symptoms of coronary artery disease (including angina), enabling the patient to resume a normal lifestyle and lower the risk of a heart attack or other heart problems.
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, National Heart Centre Singapore (NHC)
Singapore's Pioneer
NHC was the first to perform coronary artery bypass surgery in Singapore. We were also the first in Singapore to set up a coronary artery bypass graft surgery programme.
NHC's team of cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgeons specialise in treating high-risk patients and also those who have been turned down for coronary artery bypass at other centres.
Depth of Experience from High Volume
Since 1980, the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery has routinely performed heart bypass surgery, with more than 10,000 patients having undergone this procedure to date.
Benchmark to International Standards
The results of surgery performed at NHC have consistently been comparable with international benchmarks for the safety and success of this procedure. Mortality rate at NHC for the high-risk coronary artery bypass surgery is below 2%, comparable to the international standards reported by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, a national database in the United States.
Expertise Available for Alternative Procedures
Should the patient require alternatives to heart bypass surgery, we also offer medical therapy and angioplasty (percutaneous balloon dilatation and stent therapy).
Multidisciplinary Care
Understanding that cardiovascular rehabilitation is a life long process, we offer several therapeutic components such as health education, dietary and metabolic counselling as well as psychological counselling to help patients get better.
For enquiries and appointments, please contact:
 National Heart Centre Singapore
Global Patients Services
Tel: (65) 6236 7438 Fax: (65) 6323 0663
Email: gps@nhc.com.sg
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