This animation shows a coronary artery bypass graft procedure used to combat coronary artery disease. Beginning with a midline sternal incision, the heart is connected to a perfusion machine which will take over the duties of the heart while the surgery takes place.

Two different grafts are used to bypass the blocked coronary arteries: the internal thoracic artery from inside the chest wall, and the saphenous vein from the leg. After the procedure, the heart is shocked to restart its beating. A drainage tube is left at the incision site to drain away excess fluid. The animation continues to show two other types of approaches to a coronary artery bypass graft, off-pump bypass surgery and minimally invasive bypass surgery.