Eli5: what is a heart bypass?

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I’m not super familiar with medical stuff. But we found out today my dad needs a bypass and I’m anxious about it, they tried to explain it and I’ve tried looking it up but I genuinely don’t understand what it entails or if he’ll be okay

Thanks

Edit: I don’t have the energy to reply to everyone but ty all for your explanations!! I’m still anxious but feeling a lot less worried knowing what it actually is

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8 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

There are a number of arteries that supply blood to the heart. These arteries can become blocked due to the accumulation of plaques that build up over time (i.e. heart disease) — generally due to high cholesterol levels, although there are a number of risk factors. A bypass uses a blood vessel from elsewhere in the body to go around the blockage and ensure that blood is flowing properly to the heart. This avoids a full blockage cutting off blood supply to the heart muscle (i.e. a heart attack). This is a relatively common surgery and people without significant additional complications generally make good recoveries.

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