bypass surgery

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A medical operation that creates a new route for blood around a blocked or damaged artery, especially in the heart.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable: have bypass surgery. It can be countable when referring to a particular operation: a triple bypass.

   Patterns

   • have bypass surgery
   • undergo bypass surgery
   • a bypass operation

   After the heart attack, he had bypass surgery to improve the blood flow to his heart.

   The doctor explained that bypass surgery would reduce her risk of another heart attack.

2. 2noununcountablemedical

   A similar operation on other parts of the body, such as the stomach or legs, to send blood or food around a blocked area.

   Grammar: Often used with a body part: gastric bypass surgery, leg bypass surgery.

   Patterns

   • gastric bypass surgery
   • coronary bypass surgery

   Gastric bypass surgery can help people with severe obesity lose weight.

   He needed bypass surgery on his leg because of poor circulation.

Common combinations

heart bypass surgery

Heart bypass surgery is a major operation that requires a hospital stay.

coronary bypass surgery

Coronary bypass surgery uses a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body.

have a bypass

My grandfather had a bypass last year and is now much more active.

recover from bypass surgery

It can take several weeks to recover from bypass surgery.

Synonyms and how they differ

bypass

The short, informal form used in everyday conversation: 'He had a bypass.'

bypass operation

A slightly more formal alternative, often used in medical writing.

Word family

bypass noun

The operation itself, or a road that goes around a town.

Commonly confused: bypass surgery or angioplasty? bypass surgery or bypass road?

Practice

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