Bilateral Internal Mammary Artery best for Bypass Surgery

BIMA (Bilateral Internal Mammary Artery) are spare arteries on the inside of chest (left & right) and are ideal substitutes for heart’s bypass surgery. Use of BIMA in coronary bypass surgery has been shown to provide the best long-term benefits, as per the medical studies done in leading hospitals all over the world. These arteries, when used in bypass surgery, are working in 90% patients even after 20 years. It needs excellent surgical skills and experience to do this BIMA surgery. The best cardiac surgeons in the world have this expertise and this gives the best long-term results to their operated patients.

Dr. Prateek Bhatnagar, MS, MCh, FIACS, Chief Cardiac Surgeon, CARE Hospitals talks about the perks of BIMA. Cardiac Surgery Fellowship (Australia) is one of a select few heart surgeons who have experience of more than a thousand BIMA bypass surgeries and doing this surgery routinely, with excellent results (99.2%). Dr. Bhatnagar has one of the largest experiences internationally in doing 'BIMA' bypass surgery, for best results. In his word, ‘Always ask for a BIMA bypass surgery – it can be your heart’s BIMA’.

Advantages -

1. BIMA bypass surgery works much longer and better than leg veins .While BIMA is working in 90% patients even 20 years after surgery, leg veins usually work for 7-10 years.
2. Size of BIMA is the same as that of heart’s blocked coronary arteries.  Hence it sits excellently after bypass surgery. Leg veins are much bigger in size and there is a size mismatch when these veins are used for heart’s bypass surgery.
3. The pressure in arterial grafts like BIMA is the same as the blood pressure of the person. Hence BIMA works easily after bypass surgery.  Leg veins have a very low pressure – 0 - 15 mmHg only. Hence it is hard for them to adjust after a bypass surgery to heart’s blood pressure.  Thus, though leg veins work well initially, they get diseased (atheromatous) after some time due to pressure stress and may stop working.
4. When BIMA is used for bypass surgery, no cuts are made in the legs and hands. This is not only cosmetically much better but takes away side effects like swelling/pain/infection of legs.
5. BIMA bypass surgery is done almost always using beating heart surgery. Hence there is very low risk in surgery. BIMA bypass surgery can be performed upon diabetic patients also.

Book Appointment: Dr. Prateek Bhatnagar, MS, MCh, FIACS, Chief Cardiac Surgeon, CARE Hospitals