Sunday, October 3, 2010

Heart Bypass Surgery (CABG)

This 3D medical animation of the heart shows a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedure used to combat coronary artery disease.
Beginning with a midline sternal incision, the heart is connected to a perfusion machine which will take over the duties of the heart while the surgery takes place. Two different grafts are used to bypass the blocked coronary arteries: the internal thoracic artery from inside the chest wall, and the saphenous vein from the leg. After the procedure, the heart is shocked to restart its beating.
A drainage tube is left at the incision site to drain away excess fluid. The animation continues to show two other types of approaches to a coronary artery bypass graft, off-pump bypass surgery and minimally invasive bypass surgery.


This is similar to the procedure performed on former president Bill Clinton and California governor (movie star) Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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