Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Gabrielle Sellitti
We’ve all heard that lifestyle changes such as eating healthy can reverse the effects of heart disease, but sometimes eating cabbage doesn’t always cut it- at least not the edible cabbage.
CABG, which stands for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, also called “cabbage” is a type of surgery used to improve blood flow to the heart and is one of the most common cardiac surgery procedures performed in the United States.
CABG is typically used for people who have severe coronary artery heart disease (CAD) and is performed when blood through coronary arteries is blocked from plaque buildup. The idea is to route blood around or past the blockages in the native heart circulation.1
Drs. Scot Schultz and Dennis Stapleton, cardiothoracic surgeons, perform the CABG surgery at the Heart Center at Physicians Regional here in Naples, FL.
“Typically, in surgery we use an artery from inside the chest or arm, and vein from the leg to route blood around the blockage within the native coronary heart arteries. CABG is typically reserved for patients who fail medical therapy and/or are not candidates for angioplasty due to anatomical concerns, particularly those with multiple blockages. Furthermore, CABG in some patients, particularly diabetics, has been shown to more durable than angioplasty,” Dr. Schultz explains.
Dr. Stapleton adds that it is important for patients to know that they can recover to a fully independent life again after artery bypass surgery. The length of stay after surgery is typically 5-6 days. Minimal limitations should be expected once fully recovered, which takes 2-3 months.
“On average patients can return to physical activity at around 6 weeks from surgery. I often joke with the patients that 4, 6, and 8 weeks from surgery is a good time frame to keep in mind. This time frame would correspond to putt, chip, and drive for your game on the golf course,” Stapleton jokes.
Generally the patient will follow up with the surgeons and the cardiac team in the office 2 weeks after discharge from the hospital. These visits are the most rewarding for the Heart Center’s entire team as they share the joy in helping the patient gain back the quality of life and optimistic outlook that has been their ultimate goal.
“We have an extremely experienced heart team that is committed to offering the highest quality of care at every level,” Schultz gushes about the dedicated team the Heart Center at Physicians Regional has created.
The cardiac doctor duo of Dr. Schultz and Dr. Stapleton are currently accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment with them today, please call 239-348-4221 or visit PhysiciansRegional.com/cardiac-care.
References
1 https://cardiacsurgery.ucsf.edu/conditions–procedures/coronary-artery-bypass-grafting-(cabg).aspx#:~:text=Coronary%20artery%20bypass%20grafting%20
(CABG)%20is%20a%20type%20of%20surgery, also%20called%20coronary%20artery%20disease.
