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During this operation, the surgeon will make an incision, called a median sternotomy, in your chest and through the breastbone.

They will take healthy vessels from another part of your body to ‘bypass’ the blocked arteries that are preventing oxygenated blood from efficiently reaching your heart. A healthy artery in your chest may be used, or veins from your leg can be taken and used to bypass the blockage. In order for your surgeon to obtain the healthy veins, one or two small incisions are made in the leg.

During most open-heart surgeries it is necessary to connect you to a heart-lung bypass machine. During this time, your heart will stop. This machine takes over the work of the heart, oxygenating your blood and circulating it throughout the body. Your heart will begin beating again once the procedure is complete.

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