So with the heart not moving, the surgeon can proceed to graft in the artery around the blockage. This photo was taken at 11:42 pm; a little over an hour after the beating stopped.
You can see the blue thread at the end of the good artery, visible at the bottom of the opening.
I'm guessing the black textured-stuff is some sort of grafting material, but for all I know it could be super-glue or RTV silicone caulking.
They complete the second bypass, stuff everything back in place and start warming the heart up. I understand that they frequently have to do something to get the heart to start beating again, but that in some cases, such as mine, the heart will begin beating again on it's own, which is as I understand it, a sign of a good, strong heart.
Using stainless steel wire treaded through the sternum they pull the two haves back together.
I have a pair of wire cutters just like the pair at the bottom of this frame in my storage shed.
