This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Spanish PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related articles  • Similar articles in JAMA  Topic Collections  • Surgical Interventions  • Cardiovascular/ Cardiothoracic Surgery  • JAMA Patient Page  • Cardiovascular Intervention  • Revascularization  • Alert me on articles by topic

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a surgical procedure that uses another artery or vein to reroute blood around a blockage in the arteries (coronary arteries) that supply the heart with blood and oxygen. The April 16, 2008, issue of JAMA includes an article about CABG surgery. This Patient Page is adapted from one published in the April 21, 2004, issue of JAMA.

CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

• In persons with coronary artery disease (CAD), deposits of cholesterol and fats called plaque form in the coronary arteries. This process is called atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
  
• If plaque continues to build up, blood vessels can become partially or completely blocked so the heart does not receive enough oxygen carried by red blood cells, leading to angina (chest pain) or even a myocardial infarction (heart attack).
  
• CABG surgery may be done to bypass blocked coronary arteries.
  

RELATED ARTICLES

Efficacy and Safety of Pyridoxal 5'-Phosphate (MC-1) in High-Risk Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: The MEND-CABG II Randomized Clinical Trial
MEND-CABG II Investigators*
JAMA. 2008;299(15):1777-1787.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Efficacy and Safety of Pyridoxal 5'-Phosphate (MC-1) in High-Risk Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: The MEND-CABG II Randomized Clinical Trial
MEND-CABG II Investigators*
JAMA. 2008;299(15):1777-1787.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT