My Father recently went in for a heart cath with possible stenting after a Nuclear stress test was performed. During the cath procedure the Interventionalist said he was unable to do stenting and that my dad would most like be a candidate for a CABG X 2 and that he has had at least one heart attack. He also said that a minimum of 25% of his hear is "dead". My dad said that he's never had any chest pain which led the answer of a silent heart attack. When he went to the Cardiothoracic Surgeon for a consult, the doctor began by saying "I'm quite stunned. Both your left and right coronary arteries are 100% blocked. You shouldn't be alive. I have to consult with some physicians at a meeting in a few days about this." I'm confused by this since I was always led to believe that you can't live when both arteries are 100% clogged. The Surgeon also stated "what is currently keeping your blood flowing through your heart is your Great Cardiac vein and the development of new vessels". My dad asked what steps do I need to take to ge this remedied in which the Surgeon said, "I can't give a definitive answer to this at the moment and I need to consult with some local colleagues to determine the best avenue to take".

Although it more than welcoming news that my dad is still alive, I'm confused as to what is going on and was hoping that I could get an answer. I've tried researching both arteries being clogged but have been unsuccessful so far. Any information would be appreciated.

Thank you.