Femoral-Tibial Bypass Surgery: Before Your Surgery
What is femoral-tibial bypass surgery?
Femoral-tibial bypass is a type of surgery. It redirects blood
around narrowed or blocked blood vessels in your lower leg or foot.
It may be done if blood flow is severely limited.
Your doctor will use something called a graft to make the blood go
around (bypass) the blocked part of your blood vessel. Often the
graft is a vein taken from another place in your leg. But sometimes
it is a human-made graft. The graft will carry blood from the
femoral artery in your groin to the tibial artery in your lower leg
or foot.
You will be asleep during the surgery. Or you will get medicine to
numb your lower body and prevent pain. The doctor will make cuts in
your skin above and below the narrowed or blocked blood vessel.
These cuts are called incisions. If one of your veins is being used
for the graft, the doctor will make another incision in your leg to
take out the vein.
Then the doctor will attach one end of the graft to the femoral
artery and the other end to the tibial artery. After the graft is in
place and blood is flowing through it, the doctor will use stitches
or staples to close the incisions. You will have scars, but they
will fade with time.
You may stay in the hospital for at least 2 days. It may take 6 to
12 weeks to fully recover.
How do you prepare for surgery?
Surgery can be stressful. This information will help you understand
what you can expect. And it will help you safely prepare for
surgery.
Preparing for surgery
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Tell your doctor ALL the medicines, vitamins, supplements,
and herbal remedies you take. Some may increase the risk
of problems during your surgery. Your doctor will tell you
if you should stop taking any of them before the surgery
and how soon to do it.
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What happens on the day of surgery?
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Follow the instructions exactly about when to stop eating and
drinking. If you don't, your surgery may be canceled. If your
doctor told you to take your medicines on the day of surgery, take
them with only a sip of water.
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Take a bath or shower before you come in for your surgery. Do not
apply lotions, perfumes, deodorants, or nail polish.
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Do not shave the surgical site yourself.
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Take off all jewelry and piercings. And take out contact lenses,
if you wear them.
At the hospital or surgery center
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Bring a picture ID.
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The area for surgery is often marked to make sure there are no
errors.
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You will be kept comfortable and safe by your anesthesia provider.
The anesthesia may make you sleep. Or it may just numb the area
being worked on.
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The surgery may take at least 2 hours.
When should you call your doctor?
Current as of: June 24, 2023
Content Version: 14.0
Care instructions adapted under license by your healthcare
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