Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery: Procedure, Duration, and Recovery

Open heart double bypass (CABG) surgery typically takes 2–4 hours (operative time only). Total hospital stay is usually 5–7 days.

Surgical Steps

1. Preoperative Prep: Tests (blood, imaging, ECG), optimization.
2. Anesthesia: General anesthesia with invasive monitoring.
3. Incision: Median sternotomy (through breastbone).
4. Vessel Harvest: Saphenous vein (leg) and/or internal mammary artery (chest) / radial artery (arm).
5. Cardiopulmonary Bypass: Heart-lung machine takes over (on-pump) or off-pump (beating heart) technique.
6. Grafting: Bypass grafts sewn to aorta and coronary arteries beyond blockages.
7. Weaning from Bypass / Heart Restart: If on-pump.
8. Closure: Sternum wired, chest tubes placed, skin closed.

Recovery Phases

• ICU (1–3 days): Hemodynamic monitoring, ventilation weaning, pain control.
• Step-down/Telemetry (2–4 days): Mobilization, breathing exercises, education.
• Discharge: When stable, ambulating, tolerating oral intake, pain controlled orally.
• Cardiac Rehab: Outpatient program (weeks 2–12) for graded exercise, risk factor modification.

Full recovery: 6–12 weeks. Individual factors (age, comorbidities, complications) affect timeline.