Pacing Wires and Off-Pump Bypass Surgery
After all the grafts have been sewn into place, small, thin wires may be put directly on your heart. These are called pacing wires, and they help your heart to beat normally. Not everyone needs pacing wires, but if you do, they will be left inside your chest during the first part of your recovery.
Concluding Off-Pump Bypass Surgery
At the end of the off-pump
bypass surgery, the doctor will put several tubes inside your chest. These drain fluid that may collect near your heart.
After the tubes are in place, your doctor will then close the breastbone and hold it together with strong, steel wires. These keep the breastbone from moving too much while it heals, and they will remain in your body for the rest of your life. Your skin is then closed with stitches and covered with a clean bandage.
If your surgeon has recommended that you have off-pump bypass surgery, he or she may decide to use the heart-lung bypass machine after the surgery has begun. This usually happens when the surgeon feels that the heart-lung machine would make the operation safer.
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