About This Location
The surgeons of Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgical Associates (CTVSA) are pioneers in cardiovascular care. They are committed to the highest quality patient care, offering a full range of diagnostic, interventional, preventive, and rehabilitation treatment programs in their Mobile and Baldwin County locations. This exceptional medical group, which was launched in 1971, consists of 12 of the area’s finest surgeons. All full-time, practicing surgeons are university-trained and board-certified in cardiothoracic and vascular care. Many have additional board certifications in various sub-specialties.
The mission of Cardio-Thoracic & Vascular Surgical Associates is:
- to provide our patients with the highest standards of care in cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery;
- to provider our patients and their families with compassionate care;
- to educate and inform our patients and their families regarding prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease;
- to maintain current standards of excellence through continuous medical education of our surgeons and associated health care professionals;
- to foster excellent comprehensive health care.
Providers at this location
Cardio-Vascular Surgery
Vascular Surgery
Services at this location
Cardiac Care
Cardiac Surgeons at CTVSA are well versed in the entire spectrum of adult cardiac surgery. The most advanced techniques are performed by our cardiac surgical team routinely. Each cardiac patient is evaluated by a comprehensive multidisciplinary heart team to provide the patient with the best intervention possible and through the best approach, in a tailored fashion that is specific to each patient’s needs and condition.
- Coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary arteries are the vessels that provide the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients. In many patients with blockages in their coronary arteries, bypassing the blockages improves the quality of life as well as increases survival. The bypasses are made using various conduits. Most commonly used is a single artery from the chest wall, in addition to veins harvested from the leg.
in certain patients, our team is highly skilled in providing bypasses that utilize more arteries as conduits rather than veins. These technically advanced techniques are well-established to provide longer-lasting patency rates, thus minimizing the need for further interventions decades after surgery.
- Valvular heart surgery
Heart valves allow blood to flow from one chamber to the next only in one direction. Dysfunction happens when a valve is either too narrow (stenosis), too leaky (regurgitation/insufficiency), or both. This makes the heart pump largely inefficient. Severe dysfunctions almost always lead to heart failure.
Our surgeons provide state-of-the-art therapies for valvular heart diseases, including minimally invasive and endovascular approaches:
- Aortic valve dysfunction | Our surgeons provide the full spectrum of aortic valve interventions. These include:
- Aortic valve replacement, conventional
- Minimally-invasive aortic valve replacement
Through a smaller incision and a smaller opening in the chest wall, the procedure can be accomplished using specialized skills and instruments. These are not only cosmetically superior but also provide quicker recovery and return to normal life.
- Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
In suitable patients with aortic valve stenosis (narrowing), a catheter can be introduced through a peripheral blood vessel, then advanced into the narrowed native valve, then a new valve expanded inside the native valve. This advanced technology has been highly successful in appropriately selected patients. When feasible, TAVR provides very quick recovery.
- Aortic valve repair
In some patients with aortic regurgitation (leaky valve), the native valve can be salvaged and repaired through advanced techniques, that can fix the leak, and the same time avoid implanting of a prosthetic valve in the body.
- Mitral valve dysfunction | Our surgeons provide the full spectrum of mitral valve surgeries. Our team is highly skilled in complex mitral valve repair. Repairing the valve when the native tissue is not destroyed offers a well-established benefit to the patient, in terms of heart function, quality of life and survival.
- Mitral valve repair and replacement – conventional
- Minimally-invasive mitral surgery (repair or replacement)
Through a smaller incision and a smaller opening in the chest wall, the procedure can be accomplished using specialized skills and instruments. These are not only cosmetically superior but also provide quicker recovery and return to normal life.
- Aortic Surgery
The aorta is the largest artery in the body. It emerges from the heart and branches downstream to provide blood to the whole body. The most common aortic problems are aneurysms (progressive enlargement of the vessel) and aortic dissections (where blood creates a false path inside the wall of the vessel). Both these conditions, as well as others, can be life-threatening and are sometimes emergent. Our expert heart surgeons have extensive expertise in the entire spectrum of thoracic aortic interventions. Depending on the part of the aorta affected, different procedures may be warranted.
- Aortic root replacement
The aortic root is the beginning of the aorta as it takes off from the heart. This part also contains the aortic valve and the takeoff of the coronary vessels. As a result, replacing this part of the aorta requires meticulous detachment of the coronaries, replacement of the aorta, then reattaching the coronaries. - A prosthetic valve can be used to replace the aortic valve during this procedure (Bentall operation).
- If the aortic valve is not diseased, a procedure can be done where the aortic root is replaced, the coronaries reimplanted, but with sparing of the native valve (David IV operation). Our center is the only center in the area with expertise in providing this kind of operation.
- Ascending aorta and aortic arch replacement
The aortic arch is a critical part of the aorta where branches to the brain arise. Replacing this part requires detaching and re-attaching these branches, while continuously maintaining brain perfusion. Various techniques are utilized for arch replacements and our team has extensive experience in the most advanced techniques and equipped with the latest technologies to make it extremely safe.
- Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR)
In suitable patients, some parts of the aorta can be repaired using a stent delivered from the groin to cover the diseased parts of the aorta from the inside. This technology provides a faster recovery than traditional surgery. Whenever possible and safe, our team offers TEVARs to patients who will benefit from them.
- Atrial Fibrillation Surgery
Atrial fibrillation is the most common abnormality affecting the heart rhythm. It can cause symptoms but also predispose to clot formation inside the heart that may lead to disabling strokes. Our team routinely performs a wide range of ablation procedures (including the full Maze IV procedure) that aim to interrupt the abnormal impulses and revert the heart to a normal rhythm. This can potentially decrease the stroke risk to a rate comparable to the general population.
Vascular Care
The CTVSA team works to determine the best course of treatment for circulatory disorders, through both open and minimally-invasive surgical options and provides a solution to get our patients back to good health quickly.
- Minimally invasive techniques
- Robotic assist
- Carotid endarterectomy
- Repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Aortofemoral bypass
- Peripheral arterial surgery
- Angiography
- Angioplasty
- Bypass
- Dialysis access surgery
- Surgery for varicose veins
