Coronary Artery Bypass Program

Cardiac surgeons from NYU Langone Heart specialize in coronary artery bypass surgery that uses innovative techniques to restore blood flow through significantly diseased arteries.

We are a recognized leader in coronary artery bypass graft procedures and have earned from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons a three-star rating, the highest rating possible. This reflects our patient-centered approach to care before, during, and after surgery, and how well our patients do after the procedure.

A Unique Surgical Approach

When minimally invasive techniques such as percutaneous coronary intervention and stenting are not enough to restore healthy blood flow to the heart, coronary artery bypass graft surgery may be recommended. This lifesaving procedure is often used to treat or prevent a heart attack.

Coronary artery bypass surgery uses vessels from another part of the body to create a bypass around a blockage. For most people, coronary artery bypass graft surgery starts with an incision through the sternum, or breastbone, to access the heart—a procedure called open heart surgery. This approach is used when more than one artery needs a bypass—a double, triple, or quadruple bypass. At NYU Langone, our surgical treatment plans aim to open all blocked arteries during one procedure, a process called complete revascularization. This approach can significantly reduce the risk of future heart attack and may reduce the need for additional procedures later on.

We are also pioneers in the use of arteries to create bypasses. Traditional coronary artery bypass graft surgery uses a vein to create a bypass. NYU Langone surgeons specialize in a more complex approach that uses arteries, which are more durable and provide longer-lasting results than vein bypasses, to create new blood pathways to the heart. More than 70 percent of the multiple coronary artery bypass grafts performed at NYU Langone use arterial grafts, a rate that is much higher than the national average of 15 percent, as reported by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Our surgical excellence and high safety standards often result in patients able to get up and walk within hours of surgery, and be back at home after two days of in-hospital monitoring. We know that people are more comfortable recovering at home, and the sooner people can go home, the quicker their overall recovery will be.

For people who need only one bypass, we offer robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass graft surgery. This minimally invasive approach does not require opening the breastbone and instead is performed by positioning surgical tools through small incisions placed between the ribs in the left side of the chest. Most people leave the hospital after one to three days.

Our surgeons perform more than 500 coronary artery bypass procedures per year at NYU Langone in Manhattan and NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island in Mineola. Coronary artery bypass graft surgery can be performed along with heart valve surgery—to repair or replace damaged aortic or mitral valves—and coronary stenting, to open arteries that do not require a bypass.

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft for People with Heart Failure

NYU Langone offers innovative treatment that combines a temporary transvalvular ventricular assist device with a coronary artery bypass graft for people who have been told that they are not candidates for surgical treatment at other hospitals due to the severity of their illness. It may allow people who have been told they need a heart transplant to delay the procedure or avoid it altogether.

This treatment is for people with advanced heart failure whose hearts are working at 25 percent of capacity or less. The surgeon performs the bypass, and then a second procedure is done to place a temporary ventricular assist device that takes over the pumping activity of the heart. The pump is left in place for up to 10 days, giving the heart a chance to heal from the bypass and recover function. After the pump is removed, in a bedside procedure, patients often experience increased heart function and symptom relief.

Heart Bypass Surgery Recovery and Support

If our patients need cardiac rehabilitation after heart bypass surgery, they are referred through NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation. We can also connect you with programs and services through the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease that help reverse heart disease, including the Heart Healthy Nutrition Program and Exercise Physiology Program.