How do I know if I need bypass surgery or stents?

Bypass surgery is recommended for multiple blockages, left main disease, or diabetes with extensive disease, while stents work best for single blockages or less complex cases. The choice depends on your specific anatomy, number of blocked arteries, and overall health status - decisions guided by current ACC/AHA 2025 guidelines.

Bypass surgery (CABG - Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting) creates new routes around blocked arteries using grafts from your own blood vessels, requiring open-heart surgery with 3-4 month recovery. Stents are small mesh tubes inserted through a catheter to prop open narrowed arteries - minimally invasive with 1-2 week recovery. As of 2025, studies show bypass provides better long-term outcomes for complex disease, while stents offer faster recovery for simpler blockages. Your angiogram results, reviewed by both interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, determine the optimal approach. Independent surgical consultation helps clarify which option offers superior long-term outcomes for your specific coronary anatomy and risk profile.