Arterial Bypass

What is an arte­r­ial bypass?

An arte­r­ial bypass is graft­ing surgery of an artery or vein within the body. A bypass is where parts of another artery are grafted to the wall of the artery to relieve a block­age or weakening.

Why does an arte­r­ial bypass occur?

An arte­r­ial bypass pro­ce­dure occurs as a result of a block­age or weak­en­ing in the artery wall. The block­age or weak­en­ing needs to be removed or the artery wall strength­ened to restore nor­mal blood flow.

Angina can also be expe­ri­enced as a result of block­age or weak­ene­ing in the arter­ies. Angina is the lack of blood flow to the heart mus­cle (myocardium) caus­ing dis­com­fort for the patient.

How is an arte­r­ial bypass treated?

Angina can be treated with a pro­ce­dure where sides of an artery from another sec­tion of the body are taken and grafted to the artery. The graft allows a higher rate of blood flow to the heart, reliev­ing the patient of angina discomfort.