LIMA: Left Internal Mammary Artery – Definition
Inside your chest, there’s a special blood tube called the left internal mammary artery (LIMA). It runs down near your breastbone and helps bring blood to your chest.
This artery is really strong and doesn’t clog up easily. Because of that, doctors often use it like a “spare pipe” when someone’s heart needs a bypass. A bypass is when doctors make a new path for blood to go around a blocked heart vessel so the heart still gets enough blood.
The LIMA is usually connected to another important heart tube called the LAD artery. When doctors use the LIMA, the “new path” lasts a very long time, which helps people live longer and need fewer repeat surgeries.
Doctors can take the LIMA out in two main ways:
- Pedicled – leaving some of its connections in place.
- Skeletonized – freeing it up more so it can reach farther.
Sometimes, using the LIMA can make the chest sore or cause healing problems, but careful surgery helps prevent that. Overall, it’s one of the best tools doctors have to fix clogged heart vessels.
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