The CABG medical abbreviation stands for coronary artery bypass graft, a heart operation that uses a blood vessel taken from elsewhere in the body to route blood around a narrowed or blocked coronary artery. Most people in hospitals say it out loud as "cabbage", which surprises many patients the first time they hear it.
You will find CABG in surgery consent forms, cardiology letters, history sections and discharge summaries. A number after it, such as CABG x3, tells how many bypasses were made. This page explains the operation in plain words, decodes the graft shorthand surgeons use, and shows how CABG differs from stenting.
At a glance
Stands for
Coronary artery bypass graft (or grafting)Said as
"Cabbage"Written as
CABG, CABG x2, CABG x3; often after s/p in history listsTreats
CAD, narrowing of the heart's own arteriesSpecialty
Cardiac surgery (cardiothoracic surgery)Common grafts
Internal mammary artery, saphenous leg vein, radial arm arteryCompare with
PCI, a stent placed through a catheter
What happens in a CABG
The coronary arteries sit on the outside of the heart and feed the heart muscle itself. When fatty plaque narrows them, the muscle can get too little blood, causing chest pain or a heart attack. In a bypass, the surgeon attaches one end of a healthy vessel above or at the source of blood flow and the other end beyond the blockage, creating a detour.
Most operations are done through a cut down the middle of the breastbone, called a median sternotomy. Many use a heart lung machine that takes over pumping while the heart is stilled; this is called on-pump surgery. Some surgeons operate on the beating heart without the machine, written as off-pump CABG or OPCAB.
CABG medical abbreviation in history lists
Once someone has had bypass surgery, the term follows them in every future chart. It is usually written after s/p, short for status post, and often includes the number of grafts and where each one goes.
| Text | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CAD | Coronary artery disease |
| s/p CABG x3 | Has had bypass surgery with three grafts (a triple bypass) |
| LIMA-LAD | Left internal mammary artery connected to the left anterior descending artery |
| SVG-OM | Saphenous vein graft to an obtuse marginal branch |
| SVG-RCA | Saphenous vein graft to the right coronary artery |
The LAD is the artery that most often receives the internal mammary artery graft, because that pairing tends to stay open for many years.
Where the bypass vessels come from
Surgeons choose graft vessels that the body can spare. The internal mammary artery, also called the internal thoracic artery, runs behind the breastbone and can be redirected to the heart while staying attached at its upper end. The saphenous vein is a long surface vein in the leg, so people may wake with an incision on the leg as well as the chest. The radial artery from the forearm is another option.
Operative note summary: "CABG x2: LIMA to LAD, left radial to OM1. Endoscopic vein harvest not needed." Two bypasses were made, one using the chest artery and one using a forearm artery, so no leg vein was taken.
CABG and PCI side by side
Both treatments restore blood flow to the heart muscle, but they work very differently. Heart teams weigh the number and location of blockages, diabetes, heart pumping strength and surgical risk when advising one or the other.
| Feature | CABG | PCI |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Open surgery, usually through the breastbone | Catheter via a wrist or groin artery |
| What is done | New vessel routes blood past the blockage | Balloon opens the artery, usually with a stent |
| Usual hospital stay | Often several days | Often same day or overnight |
| Often chosen for | Many vessels blocked, left main disease, some people with diabetes | One or a few focal blockages, heart attacks in progress |
Recovery terms you may hear after bypass
After surgery, people usually spend time in a cardiac intensive care unit, then move to a step down floor. Notes may mention chest tubes, pacing wires, and sternal precautions, which are rules such as not pushing up with the arms or lifting heavier objects while the breastbone heals. Getting back to full strength usually spans many weeks and sometimes longer.
Cardiac rehab, a program of monitored exercise plus teaching about heart health, is often recommended afterward. Medicines to protect the grafts and the rest of the arteries, such as aspirin and a statin, are commonly part of the plan.
Questions to bring to the heart team
- How many grafts are planned, and which vessels will be used?
- Will the surgery be on-pump or off-pump?
- What are the movement and driving limits while the breastbone heals?
- When should cardiac rehab start, and where?
For more operation and procedure shorthand, browse the surgery and procedure abbreviations hub.
Choices between surgery, stents and medicines depend on details of your heart that only your cardiologist and cardiac surgeon can review with you.
Frequently asked questions
Why do doctors say cabbage for CABG?
Saying the four letters as one word is quicker, and C-A-B-G naturally sounds like cabbage. It is standard in hospitals and does not mean anything beyond coronary artery bypass graft.
What does CABG x4 mean?
It means the surgeon made four bypasses, which people call a quadruple bypass. The number counts detours made around blockages, not the number of incisions.
Is CABG open heart surgery?
Usually yes. Most bypass operations open the chest through the breastbone. Some centers do smaller incision approaches for selected patients, but they are still called CABG.
Is CABG the same as a stent?
No. A stent is placed through a catheter during PCI, while CABG is surgery that builds a new path for blood using a graft vessel. Each fits different patterns of blockage.
What does s/p CABG mean?
It means status post coronary artery bypass graft, so the person has had bypass surgery in the past. It is a common entry in past surgical history.