Advanced Surgical Treatment for Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) increases blood flow to the heart by creating a bypass around blocked coronary arteries using a healthy blood vessel from another part of your body.
Our cardiac surgeons at Johns Hopkins provide patients with the latest surgical treatment for coronary artery disease from groundbreaking research. We offer comprehensive surgical care at our locations in the Baltimore, Maryland and greater Washington, D.C. areas.
What to Expect During Your Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG)
Better Patient Outcomes
We specialize in advanced surgical approaches for treating coronary artery disease which includes using more than one artery to bypass a blocked artery, leading to better long-term patient outcomes and survival.
Comfortable Recovery
Most patients at Johns Hopkins leave the operating room without a breathing tube or have it removed within hours after surgery compared to other institutions where breathing tubes may be left in longer.
Specialized Care for Women
Universally, women tend to have higher infection, readmission rates and death after undergoing cabg surgery. Our team is specialized in treating all women and are aware of factors unique to women that may indicate coronary artery disease.
Frequently Asked Questions About Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG)
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Coronary artery disease occurs when your coronary arteries are blocked or narrowed, less blood and oxygen can reach your heart which can cause a heart attack, stroke and arrhythmia.
This type of heart disease can be treated by creating a bypass from the blocked artery using a healthy artery from another part of your body.
Learn more about coronary artery disease. -
Your doctor will review your health history and complete a thorough physical exam to ensure you are in good health before your procedure. You will be required to undergo diagnostic tests. You may be asked not to eat or drink for a certain amount of time.
Learn more about how you can prepare for coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG).
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Under anesthesia, your doctor will make incisions in one or both of your legs or one of your wrists to access the blood vessels to be used for the grafts. Your doctor will cut the sternum (breastbone) in the center.
They will separate the halves of the breastbone and spread them apart to expose your heart to create the bypass.
This procedure usually requires five to seven days in the hospital. -
After you are released from the hospital you will need another adult to supervise and assist you 24 hours for one week when you return home. You will need to avoid lifting or driving for four weeks while the breast bone heals.
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You can prevent coronary artery disease by having a healthy lifestyle by doing the following:
- Quit smoking
- Eat heart healthy foods
- Maintain blood sugar levels
- Maintain normal cholesterol levels
- Maintain normal body mass index (BMI) range
- Increase physical activity
- Manage stress
Learn more about how you can prevent coronary artery disease.
Clinical Locations
Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center — Green Spring Station, Lutherville
10755 Falls Rd
Lutherville, MD 21093
Surgery Locations
CABG Surgery General Research
- Velez AK, Canner JK, Etchill E, Giuliano K, Alejo DE, Choi C, Kilic A, Schena S, Robert Whitman GJ, Lawton JS. Measures to Increase Use of Multiple Arterial Grafts for Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. J Am Coll Surg. 2021 Feb 24:S1072-7515(21)00157-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2021.02.008. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33636310.
- Gaudino MFL, Sandner S, Bonalumi G, Lawton JS, Fremes SE; Coronary Task Force of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. How to build a multi-arterial coronary artery bypass programme: a stepwise approach. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2020 Dec 1;58(6):1111-1117. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezaa377. PMID: 33247735; PMCID: PMC7824806.
- Barner HB, Bailey M, Guthrie TJ, Pasque MK, Moon MR, Damiano RJ Jr, Lawton JS. Radial artery free and T graft patency as coronary artery bypass conduit over a 15-year period. Circulation. 2012 Sep 11;126(11 Suppl 1):S140-4. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.081497. PMID: 22965974.
- Gaudino M, Chikwe J, Falk V, Lawton JS, Puskas JD, Taggart DP. Transatlantic editorial: the use of multiple arterial grafts for coronary revascularization in Europe and North America. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2020 Jun 1;57(6):1032-1037. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezaa077. PMID: 32191293; PMCID: PMC7821708.
- Melby SJ, Saint LL, Balsara K, Itoh A, Lawton JS, Maniar H, Pasque MK, Damiano RJ Jr, Moon MR. Complete Coronary Revascularization Improves Survival in Octogenarians. Ann Thorac Surg. 2016 Aug;102(2):505-11. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2016.01.065. Epub 2016 Apr 19. PMID: 27101730.
- Aziz A, Lee AM, Pasque MK, Lawton JS, Moazami N, Damiano RJ Jr, Moon MR. Evaluation of revascularization subtypes in octogenarians undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Circulation. 2009 Sep 15;120(11 Suppl):S65-9. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.844316. PMID: 19752388; PMCID: PMC2752867.
- Castillo-Sang M, Anastacio MM, Guthrie TJ, Maniar HS, Moon MR, Pasque MK, Damiano RJ, Lawton JS. Left main disease progression following left branch vessel percutaneous intervention in patients who are referred for coronary artery bypass grafting. J Card Surg. 2015 Jan;30(1):35-40. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12460. Epub 2014 Oct 17. PMID: 25327708.
- Lawton JS. Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. Mo Med. 2012 Jul-Aug;109(4):277-80. PMID: 22953590; PMCID: PMC6179773.
- Lawton JS, Damiano RJ Jr. Off pump coronary artery bypass: a valuable technique but not for everyone. Innovations (Phila). 2010 Jan;5(1):1-2. doi: 10.1097/IMI.0b013e3181d05568. PMID: 22437267.
- Damiano RJ Jr, Ducko CT, Stephenson ER Jr, Lawton JS, Kuenzler RO, Chambers CE. Robotically assisted coronary artery bypass grafting: a prospective single center clinical trial. J Card Surg. 2000 Jul-Aug;15(4):256-65. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8191.2000.tb01287.x. PMID: 11758061.
CABG Surgery and Women
- Lawton JS. Sex and gender differences in coronary artery disease. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2011 Summer;23(2):126-30. doi: 10.1053/j.semtcvs.2011.07.006. PMID: 22041042.
- Lawton JS, Brister SJ, Petro KR, Dullum M. Surgical revascularization in women: unique intraoperative factors and considerations. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2003 Oct;126(4):936-8. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5223(03)00805-5. PMID: 14566226.
- Lawton JS, Barner HB, Bailey MS, Guthrie TJ, Moazami N, Pasque MK, Moon MR, Damiano RJ Jr. Radial artery grafts in women: utilization and results. Ann Thorac Surg. 2005 Aug;80(2):559-63. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2005.02.055. PMID: 16039204.
- Gaudino M, Alexander JH, Egorova N, Kurlansky P, Lamy A, Bakaeen F, Hameed I, Di Franco A, Demetres M, Robinson NB, Chikwe J, Lawton JS, Devereaux PJ, Taggart DP, Flather M, Reents W, Boening A, Diegeler A, Girardi LN, Fremes SE, Benedetto U. Sex-related differences in outcomes after coronary artery bypass surgery-A patient-level pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials: rationale and study protocol. J Card Surg. 2020 Oct;35(10):2754-2758. doi: 10.1111/jocs.14903. Epub 2020 Jul 27. PMID: 32720394.
- Enumah ZO, Canner JK, Alejo D, Warren DS, Zhou X, Yenokyan G, Matthew T, Lawton JS, Higgins RSD. Persistent Racial and Sex Disparities in Outcomes After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: A Retrospective Clinical Registry Review in the Drug-eluting Stent Era. Ann Surg. 2020 Oct;272(4):660-667. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000004335. PMID: 32932322.
- Hogue CW Jr, Palin CA, Kailasam R, Lawton JS, Nassief A, Dávila-Román VG, Thomas B, Damiano R. C-reactive protein levels and atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery in women. Ann Thorac Surg. 2006 Jul;82(1):97-102. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2006.02.043. PMID: 16798197; PMCID: PMC1780029.