What surgery is performed to bypass blocked coronary arteries?

The surgery performed to bypass blocked coronary arteries is known as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This procedure is designed to improve blood flow to the heart by creating a new pathway around the blocked arteries. Surgeons take a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body and attach it to the coronary artery, bypassing the obstruction, which helps in alleviating symptoms such as chest pain (angina) and reduces the risk of heart attack.

CABG is particularly vital for patients who have significant coronary artery disease, where the coronary arteries are narrowed due to plaque buildup. This condition can lead to decreased blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle, necessitating surgical intervention to restore proper blood flow and improve heart function.

The other options, while they are also surgical procedures, are unrelated to the treatment of coronary artery disease. Mastectomy involves the removal of breast tissue, typically due to cancer. Hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, generally for conditions like fibroids or cancer. Cholecystectomy refers to the surgical removal of the gallbladder, usually due to gallstones or other gallbladder diseases. Thus, none of these surgeries address the issue of blocked coronary arteries.