Introduction

The development and expansion of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the United States followed in parallel with 3 major advances between the 1950s and late 1960s, namely, (1) the development of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB); (2) the mastery of surgical anastomotic techniques; and (3) the ability to harvest both venous and arterial grafts.

In this chapter, the reader should assimilate the following:

• History of CPB as it relates to CABG
• Indications for on-pump CABG and studies related to its effectiveness compared with percutaneous catheter intervention (PCI) or medical management
• On-pump techniques
• Choice of conduits for coronary revascularization
• Operative complications