Arteries used in the bypass are grafted from the patient’s arm, chest wall or abdomen. Studies show that transplanted arteries stay open much longer than veins – the blood vessel traditionally used for bypass surgery.

Arteries are stronger than veins, more durable and elastic. And arteries last longer and are less likely to clog and narrow than veins, which means a patient is less likely to return for a second bypass surgery.

When arteries can't be used, our surgeons use minimally invasive techniques such as endoscopic vein harvest to obtain a leg vein (the saphenous vein) that can be used to redirect blood flow in the heart.