Heart and vascular surgery

Cardiac catheterization offers a minimally invasive way to diagnose and treat (sometimes at the same time) certain conditions of the heart. These procedures use a thin, flexible tube along with a small camera and tiny instruments to capture images of the heart and cardiac vessels. Some of the procedures we perform in our dedicated cardiac catheterization labs include:

• Coronary atherectomy
• Coronary stenting/balloon angioplasty
• Intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation
• Intravascular ultrasound
• Radial heart catheterization

Sometimes, surgery, medication and lifestyle changes aren't enough to help your heart function as well as it needs to. If this happens to you, you may be a candidate for a heart transplant. Our cardiovascular surgeons have experience and training in this type of complex transplant. They will help you through the entire transplant process, from diagnosis to evaluation throughout surgery and recovery.

These types of procedures are able to combine two or more surgeries into one surgical session. This allows us to offer patients the benefits of multiple surgeries while only having to undergo the surgical process once.

We offer minimally invasive surgery options, including robot-assisted surgery, for quite a few heart procedures, including:

• Mitral valve repair and replacement (including mechanical and bio-prosthetic replacements and repairs for patients with mitral valve prolapse and mitral valve regurgitation)
• Off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
• Pericardial window
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)

Depending on your condition, your doctor may discuss several types of surgery with you to help you understand your options and their recommendations for treatment. Specifically, you may hear about some of these surgeries that are often used to treat heart arrhythmias, diseases and failure.

• Ablation therapies
• Automated external defibrillator insertion
• Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) (bi-ventricular device insertion)
• Convergent maze procedure
• Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) device insertion
• Maze and mini-maze procedures
• Minimally invasive (hybrid catheter and ablation) procedure
• Pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) insertion and repair

• Angioplasty and stenting
• Bypass surgery
• Cardioversion
• Heart valve repair or replacement
• Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation
• Pacemaker implantation

• High-risk low ejection fraction coronary revascularization
• Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and other ventricular device insertions
• Left ventricular restoration procedure (DOR procedure)
• Pulmonary artery pressure monitor insertion

As you might imagine, the veins and arteries of your body are closely related to how your heart functions. Poor heart health can negatively impact your vascular health and vice versa. That is why our cardiovascular specialists are specifically trained to diagnose and treat issues with your veins and arteries, such as vascular disease. They offer experience and expertise in minimally invasive and diagnostic vascular surgeries as well as:

• Access surgery
• Carotid artery stenting
• Carotid endarterectomy
• Endovascular aneurysm repair
• Endovascular surgical intervention
• Peripheral vascular atherectomy
• Radiofrequency heart ablation
• Vascular bypass

Heart surgery is a major operation, even if you have had one of our minimally invasive surgeries. Afterward, your heart muscle needs to be strengthened and kept healthy. That's one of the reasons we offer physical therapy and rehabilitative programs, including specially tailored cardiac rehabilitation plans for our heart patients. Our dedicated physical therapy teams will ensure you recover at your own pace while helping you heal as quickly as possible.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)

We are proud to offer ECMO to patients who are recovering from heart failure or surgery, or for those who need the extra support during cardiac catheterization procedures. This therapy involves a device that pumps and oxygenates the blood outside the body, allowing their heart and lungs to rest.

If you need surgery at one of our hospitals, you'll work with a wide range of specialists, nurses and others who have deep experience diagnosing and treating cardiovascular conditions. They will work with one another, including specialists at other hospitals in our network, to ensure you have access to the care you need and deserve.

Some of our cardiovascular team members include:

• Anesthesiologists
• Cardiac nurses
• Cardiac surgeons
• Cardiac rehabilitation professionals
• Cardiologists
• Cardiovascular operating room (OR) nurses
• Cardiovascular surgical teams
• Critical care nurses
• Echocardiography technologists
• Emergency staff
• Infection control specialists
• Laboratory technicians
• Perfusionists (healthcare professionals who operate the heart/lung machines during cardiac surgery)
• Pharmacists
• Physician assistants
• Radiologists
• Respiratory therapists