What is it ?
OPCAB (Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass)
The bypass surgery done without connecting the patient to of heart-lung machine or pump is called OPCAB.

The location and degree of coronary artery blockages are determined before surgery by using a procedure called heart catheterization, or coronary angiogram. This procedure provides an outline, like a road map, of the arteries of the heart.

Factors favoring bypass surgery -
Bypass surgery is often recommended over angioplasty when the left main coronary artery is narrowed by more than 50 percent, when angioplasty does not relieve angina, when many arteries are narrowed, or when the heart's left ventricular pumping function is substantially impaired. Bypass surgery is also preferred over angioplasty in diabetic patients who have two or three vessels involved.

Benefits -
Bypass surgery can very effectively relieve angina and can even prolong life in people with severe coronary heart disease, such as those with three-vessel involvement associated with impaired left ventricular pumping function. However, the success of bypass surgery on symptoms and on survival depends upon several factors, including the pattern and extent of arterial narrowing, the general progression of coronary heart disease over time, and the blood vessels used for bypass. In general, bypass surgery is more likely than angioplasty to provide complete revascularisation.

About 95 percent of people who have narrowing of several arteries have improvement or complete relief of their angina immediately after surgery. About 85 to 90 percent of people remain angina-free at one to three years after surgery, and about 75 percent of people remain angina-free or free of major coronary events at five years after surgery. By 10 years, about one-half of all grafted vessels become narrowed or occluded, and by 15 years, about 85 percent of grafted vessels become narrowed or occluded. These late events usually require a second surgery

Recovery from bypass surgery -
It usually takes a while to recover from even routine bypass surgery. However, about 70 to 80 percent of people who have this surgery are eventually able to return to work; this is about the same as the percentage of people who are treated medically and are able to return to work. Factors that appear to have a role in a person's ability to return to work are the presence or absence of angina after surgery, employment status before surgery and income, the function of the heart's left ventricle, and age.