What happens in heart bypass surgery?

See below: A vein can be taken from the leg, sewn to the aorta and the other end is sewn to the coronary artery beyond a blockage. Thus blood flows from the aorta, through that vein, and then into the coronary artery bypassing the blockage. Alternatively, the internal mammary artery can be connected to the coronary artery.

Sternum commonly: In most the skin, soft tissue, sternum, pericardium are divided!. This shows the heart so the coronary arteries can be seen and bypassed. Valves may also be repaired or replaced.

Open Heart Surgery: Patients are placed on a heart lung machine to support their respirations and circulation while new blood vessels (arteries and veins) are grafted onto the hear to "bypass" areas that are blocked.

Varies...: For many years bypass involved an incision down the middle of your chest, splitting the sternum, stopping the heart and going on the heart-lung machine, and then performing the bypass. Now, some surgeons use other incisions and may not split the sternum. Some people do bypasses without stopping the heart or using the bypass machine. Some use robotics to perform the surgery.