Heart Disease Health Center

Femoral-Tibial Bypass Surgery

A femoral-tibial bypass is used to bypass a blocked artery in the leg. The bypass restores blood flow to the lower leg and foot.

To bypass a blocked artery, blood is redirected through a graft. The graft is either a healthy blood vessel that has been transplanted or a man-made material. This graft is sewn above and below the diseased artery so that blood flows through the graft and around the blockage.

In this picture, a graft bypasses the blockage in an artery near the knee. The graft connects the common femoral artery near the hip to a tibial artery in the lower leg.