Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Top Ranked in State by NYS Department of Health for CABG/Valve Outcomes
NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital had the lowest observed and risk adjusted mortality rates (number 1 out of 38 institutions in New York state) for isolated CABG (a 0.49% risk adjusted mortality rate). NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital was number 2 in the entire state for the combined group of CABG, CABG/Valve and Valve surgeries (a 0.79% risk adjusted mortality rate).
Coronary artery (heart) disease occurs when fatty deposits build up along the inside of the arteries supplying blood to your heart (atherosclerosis). A heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs when these blockages deprive the heart muscle of oxygen, which can cause the death of heart tissue. It's important to have coronary artery disease diagnosed promptly and treated effectively at a hospital like NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. If you have coronary artery disease that cannot be effectively treated with lifestyle changes, medication, or an interventional heart procedure, you may benefit from coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. During this operation, the surgeon takes a blood vessel from another part of your body and uses it to reroute blood around blockages in your coronary arteries to restore blood flow.
Why Choose NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist
At NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist, our heart surgeons offer a highly personalized level of outstanding care, delivered by a dedicated, experienced, and caring team.
- Every heart surgery is performed by two board-certified cardiac surgeons.
- Our surgeons are national leaders in the use of "arterial grafting" during CABG procedures, such as radial grafting, which results in better patient outcomes.
- We have expertise in every type of CABG approach, matching you with the operation that best meets your needs.
- Our hospital has consistently achieved low mortality rates in CABG patients for the last ten years — among the lowest in all of New York State.
- A dedicated cardiothoracic surgery intensive care unit with intensivists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners.
- Compassionate, patient-centered care by a team of outstanding critical care and step-down nurses.
Radial Grafting: An Innovation in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Radial artery grafting is an innovative approach which has been shown to offer significantly improved long-term outcomes. Using arteries instead of veins to perform bypass improves the durability of the grafts. Instead of using a segment of a vein from the leg for bypassing a blocked artery, the surgeon uses an artery from the arm, called the radial artery. This procedure halves the risk that a patient may experience another blockage that can lead to closure of the bypass graft. Cardiac surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist have also shown that multiple arterial grafting—the use of more than one artery to bypass several blockages—is a much safer procedure than having multiple stents inserted percutaneously into multiple blocked arteries. Patients with extensive coronary artery disease are best treated with multiple arterial bypass grafting, a procedure pioneered by our surgeons.
Which CABG Procedure Is Best for You?
There are several types of CABG surgery. Our expert cardiac surgeons carefully evaluate your heart and your overall health to determine which procedure is most appropriate for you.
- Traditional "on-pump" CABG. During the most common CABG procedure, the surgeon opens the chest to expose the heart, which is then temporarily stopped from beating while the patient is attached to a cardiopulmonary bypass machine (or heart-lung pump). This machine circulates purified blood and oxygen through the rest of the body during the operation, allowing the surgical team to operate on a stable, non-beating heart.
- Off-pump CABG. During this procedure, the heart-lung machine is not used. The surgeon uses a mechanical stabilizing device to restrict the movement of your heart so the surgery can be done while your heart is still beating. By not stopping the heart or using the heart-lung machine, recovery time and the incidence of some complications may be reduced.
- Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB). With this approach, a small incision is created between two ribs on the left side of the chest. Through this small opening, the surgeon will usually create one bypass. Minimally invasive heart surgery also results in smaller incisions and a faster, more comfortable recovery compared with open heart procedures.