New tech in by pass surgery

  My husband is 28 years old and we are facing a triple by pass how long does by pass surgery last? and will his arterys block again? we have been told if they take the artery from the arm it last longer than if they take from the leg is this true?  does the artery reblock or do they just give out what happens? is there any new technology that can help us more than just a by pass? and will we have a normal life style after recovery of the surgery?

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

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Dear J.D., thank you for your question.   I understand your concern regarding your husband's options.  Arterial bypass grafts do last longer than venous bypass grafts harvested from the legs.  With your husband's young age, I think he should receive three arterial grafts.  The two internal mammary arteries and a radial artery from the nondominant wrist would be ideal conduits to use for grafts.  To accomplish such a surgery, your husband should be treated at a tertiary medical center where the cardiac surgeons have experience in doing bypass surgery with arterial grafts.  Cleveland Clinic is the world leader in arterial bypass graft surgery and your husband would be well served if he had his surgery here.  To schedule an appointment, call the number below and ask for Cathy who works for the cardiac surgery department (the operator can page her at 24774).   There are various new technologies for doing bypass surgery but with the information I have, I can't determine if these technologies would be appropriate for your husband.  If the surgery goes well, then your husband should be able to return to his normal activities after the normal recovery period of 6-8 weeks.  
I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.  Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.   The Heart
Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.