Dan’s physician reviews his history of hypercholesterolemia, the analysis of his blood work from the laboratory, his EKG and his angiography test results. He confirms that Dan has suffered damage to his cardiovascular system from a heart attack caused by coronary heart disease (CHD), as a result of atherosclerosis. CHD is the most common cause of a heart attack.
Even though Dan’s wife, Betsy, found him quickly and called 911, provided an aspirin to help thin his blood and the hospital administered a tPA medication within a short time frame, the damage to Dan’s heart was too significant. In some cases, a less invasive angioplasty is a good treatment option, but in Dan’s case he is immediately taken to surgery where a cardiothoracic surgeon performs a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Considered an open heart surgery, the surgeon will make a 6 – 8 inch incision in Dan’s chest, cut through his sternum to access his heart and then graft a new blood vessel to reroute blood flow through the healthy vessel.
Watch the animation below to learn more about a coronary artery bypass graft.
Internet Research: Define heart attack.
Internet Research: What are some other names for a heart attack?
Review the Video: List three pieces of information about a coronary artery bypass graft.
Cardiovascular System: Refers to the heart and blood vessels. Also known as the circulatory system.
(“Cardiovascular System.” Medterms. N.P., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.)
Coronary Heart Disease: A narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Sometimes referred to as Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).
(“Coronary Heart Disease.” U.S. National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.)
Atherosclerosis: A condition in which a fatty substance called plaque builds up on the inside walls of the arteries and blocks those arteries.
(“Atherosclerosis.” American Heart Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.)
Angioplasty: A procedure used to open clogged heart arteries. It involves temporarily inserting and blowing up a tiny balloon where the artery is clogged to help widen the artery. It is often combined with the permanent placement of a small wire mesh tube called a stent to help prop the artery open and decrease the chance of it narrowing again.
(“Coronary Angioplasty and Stents.” Mayo Clinic. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.)