Heart and vascular surgery

When the heart is no longer functioning properly, and noninvasive methods, such as medication management, have not been effective, heart surgery may be necessary. Some of the heart surgeries our cardiovascular surgeons provide to help you regain heart health are:

• Aneurysm repair
• Atrial septal defect
• Cardioversion (for AFib)
• Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
• Carotid endarterectomy
• Maze surgery (for AFib)
• Peripheral stenting
• Valve repair and replacement
• Vascular surgery, including stenting

Minimally invasive heart surgery

We are proud to offer minimally invasive heart surgeries. These types of procedures allow us to treat you using smaller incisions and instruments. One minimally invasive method we provide is robotic surgery, which involves highly precise and technologically advanced devices. When used by our specially trained surgical teams, you'll benefit by recovering faster than ever before.

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure

A PFO closure is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a catheter to insert a special device to close the hole in the heart and stop abnormal blood flow. As an added benefit, compared to open-heart surgery, a PFO closure procedure does not require extensive rehabilitation.

Left ventricular assistive device (LVAD)

Inserted into the left ventricle of your heart, the LVAD is used as a bridge-to-transplant for if you are waiting for a heart transplant. It may also be used as destination therapy, which provides long-term heart support in case you are not a suitable candidate for a heart transplant.

Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR)

TMVR is used to treat mitral regurgitation. This is particularly beneficial if you too high-risk for open-heart surgery and have severe degenerative mitral regurgitation.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)

If you are too high-risk for traditional open-heart surgery, our hospitals' structural heart specialists offer the TAVR procedure. This innovative, minimally invasive procedure provides relief for aortic stenosis and as a benefit to you, you experience less pain, a faster recovery and a shorter hospital stay.

In addition to heart surgery, we offer an extensive vascular surgery program. Your blood vessels act as the highway of your body, bringing oxygen and nutrients wherever they need to go. When there is a traffic jam, in the form of clogged arteries, you can be in danger of major medical problems.

At our hospitals, our vascular surgeons use minimally invasive surgery whenever possible so that you can recover faster. But when traditional methods are called for, we are prepared to use those as well. No matter which type of surgery your particular condition calls for, you are in great, experienced hands with our surgeons. We offer the following endovascular and open-heart forms of these surgical treatments:

• Abdominal aortic, thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair
• Angioplasty
• Carotid endarterectomy
• Deep vein occlusion reconstruction
• Gangrene surgery for the limbs
• Endovenous laser therapy treatment or perforator surgery for varicose veins and venous ulcers
• Hemodialysis access, including femoral vein fistulas
• Peripheral artery aneurysm surgery
• Thoracic aortic dissection repair
• Transcervical carotid stenting
• Treatment of carotid body and other vascular tumors
• Treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome
• Vascular stenting

In addition to performing routine heart surgeries, we also use new and innovative therapies to treat heart disease, including:

• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) — The ECMO machine is used when the heart cannot pump enough blood to the body. If you are suffering from heart failure, the ECMO pump can be lifesaving.
• Mechanical cardiovascular support — We use one of the world’s smallest mechanical cardiovascular support systems, which is a type of assistive device that sustains a weak heart by pumping oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body.