Every year about 170,000 individuals with coronary artery disease undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to improve blood flow to their heart muscle. To access the heart, the surgeon splits the sternum (breastbone) in two and pulls the ribs apart. After the surgery, the sternum is brought together and closed with wires. Healing takes two to three months during which time the individual is continually reminded that it’s the incision, called a sternotomy, that makes recovery from CABG painful and slow.
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