Coronary artery disease is commonly referred to as Heart Disease in Singapore. It is one of most common causes of death.

It describes problems involving your heart’s blood supply. It is interrupted by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries. Over time, the walls of your arteries can become furred up with fatty deposits. This process is known as atherosclerosis and the fatty deposits are called atheroma.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), also called heart bypass surgery, is performed to improve blood flow to the heart.  When indicated, it is the option that is proven to improve survival benefit, meaning people live longer.

CABG involve using healthy blood vessels from another part of the body (chest, forearm and legs) and connects them to blood vessels after the blocked artery. This creates a new pathway for blood to flow past the blockage. First foremost, it involves making an incision over the breastbone (sternum) to gain exposure to the heart. It is the difficulty of suturing or “sewing” two small blood vessels together, each about 1.5-2.0 mm diameter and making flow well.