However, the vast majority of CABG procedures, including the quintuple bypass, are scheduled in advance. This allows time for pre-surgery testingthat helps determine how many bypasses are needed, if the patient is healthy enough to tolerate the surgery, and their general state of health.
The procedure is performed under general anesthesia. Once the surgery begins, blood vessels are taken from another area of the body, often the leg, and grafted onto the existing heart vessel before and after the blockage. A quintuple bypass requires more vessels than any other procedure, so multiple sites, including the arm, Left Internal Mammary Artery (LIMA), and other vessels may be used.
Obtaining adequate vessels to use for the grafts can be one of the most challenging aspects of the procedure; if the vessels to the heart are diseased, it is likely that the vessels in other regions of the body are also affected. These vessels are then used to detour blood around the blockage on the way to the heart, with the blood literally being routed around (bypassed) the blocked portion of the vessel.
Once the vessels needed for the grafts are harvested, the chest portion of the surgery begins with a sternotomy, the incision that opens the chest and divides the sternum (breastbone) in half to allow the surgeon access to the heart. The procedure is most often performed "on pump" using acardiopulmonary bypass machine to temporarily do the work of the heart and lungs, allowing the surgeon to stop the heart and perform surgery without the constant movement of the heart beating.
Quintuple Bypass!
Here is the list of meds that I am currently using, including my meds for other medical conditions!
My heart drugs after surgery - Amlodipine, Clipidorel, & Metroprolol.
Before Surgery - Atorvastatin & Apirin
Other meds - Allergies & Asthma - Montelukast Stomach Issues - Aciphex & Omega 3 Fish Oil
The next few days I will research each!
