A coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) involves taking a blood vessel from another part of the body (usually the chest, leg or arm) and attaching it to the coronary artery above and below the narrowed area or blockage. This new blood vessel is known as a graft. It diverts blood around narrowed or clogged parts of the major arteries to improve blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart.
The number of grafts needed will depend on how severe your coronary heart disease is and how many of the coronary blood vessels are narrowed. The surgery improves blood flow to the heart, creating a new passage to re-route oxygen-rich blood around the blockage to the heart muscle.
CABG cost in India starts from around USD 4,655. 85% of patients who undergo CABG experience a significant reduction in symptoms and carry a lesser risk of heart attacks in the future. However, this doesn’t mean that CABG is a cure for coronary artery disease. Patients will have to spend 1-2 days in ICU before being released to general wards for around a week. There’s no full recovery from this, but standard regular tasks can start after 6-12 weeks.
