Heart bypass surgery creates a new route, called a bypass, for blood and oxygen to go around a blockage to reach your heart. The surgery is used to treat coronary heart disease. This articles discusses what you need to do to care for yourself when you leave the hospital.
When you Were in the Hospital
Your surgeon took a vein or artery from another part of your body to create a detour, or bypass, around an artery that was blocked and could not bring enough blood to your heart.
Your surgery was done through an incision (cut) in your chest. If the surgeon went through your breastbone, the surgeon repaired it with wire and a metal plate, and your skin was closed with stitches. You also had an incision made in your leg or arm, where the vein was taken to be used for the bypass.
