HEART AND LUNG SURGERY << BACK Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) Coronary artery bypass surgery, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), is done to bypass clogged arteries supplying the heart. When one or more of the small blood vessels that supply the heart with oxygen and nutrients becomes partially or totally blocked, the heart doesn't get an adequate blood supply. CABG creates a detour, or "bypass" around the blocked part of a coronary artery to restore the blood supply to the heart. Click here for a description of the procedure and for more detailed information about artery and vein grafts. More than a half million Americans undergo coronary bypass surgery to relieve symptoms such as chest pain and angina, and prolong their lives. Providence was one of the first open-heart surgery programs in the state, and performs more CABG surgeries than any other hospital in South Carolina each year. With the majority of people who have the surgery, the grafts remain open and functioning for 10 to 15 years. But lifestyle changes--such as not smoking, improved diet, regular exercise and treating high blood pressure and high cholesterol--are necessary to prevent the eventual recurrence of coronary blockage. After surgery, patents spend an average of five to seven days in the hospital, with the first 24 hours in an intensive care unit. Later the patient is moved to the transitional care unit. As the patient recovers, activity is gradually resumed. Cardiac rehabilitation usually begins within a few days.