If you are suffering chest pain or other symptoms that may indicate a cardiovascular problem, your doctor in the States will likely want you to undergo an angiogram (cardiac catheterization) to see if your coronary arteries are blocked by plaque. A blockage can cause a decrease in the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart, and over time can lead to debilitating chest pain or a heart attack. If angioplasty proves unsuccessful, the position of the blockage is too difficult to access by angioplasty, or you have severe blockages in multiple major vessels, your doctor may recommend that you undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
Many of our clients decide to have the surgery done in Poland to take advantage of excellent European medical care and techniques and be treated by one of the best cardiac surgeons in the world. Our doctors not only have impressive experience and credentials but are also know as pioneers in the field.
Bypass surgery usually lasts between two and six hours. Pre-operative medications are often administered by mouth, muscular or subcutaneous injection, or intravenously. You will receive general anesthesia and be completely asleep.
During bypass surgery, the chest bone is separated, and the ribs are spread apart to allow visible and physical access to the heart. In most instances, blood circulation and breathing functions will be taken over by a heart-lung machine. The cardiac surgeon uses a piece of vein or artery to form a bypass to enable blood to go around the blockage. Several blockages can be bypassed during surgery.
Studies have shown in 90 to 95 percent of patients operated by our surgeons, bypasses made with segments of the mammary artery still performed efficiently 10 years after surgery. More than 75 percent of patients who received grafts from leg veins still had satisfactorily unrestricted blood flow after 10 years.
