Cardiovascular Surgery

Infirmary Health's Cardiac Surgeons are well-versed in the entire spectrum of adult cardiac surgery. Our program is one of the highest volume programs in the United States. The most advanced techniques are performed routinely by our cardiac surgical team. Each cardiac patient is evaluated by a comprehensive multidisciplinary heart team to provide the patient with the best intervention and the best approach in a tailored fashion that is specific to the patient’s needs and condition.

Coronary artery bypass surgery

Coronary arteries provide the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients. Narrowing of and blockages in these arteries are the leading cause of death worldwide. Bypassing coronary narrowing alleviates symptoms and improves survival.

The bypasses are made using various conduits. The most commonly used is a single artery from the chest wall, in addition to veins harvested from the leg.

In patients who will benefit from it, 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 more durable and longer-lasting bypasses and decrease the chances of needing 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 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 utilizing 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, most commonly in the groin, and used to expand a new valve inside the native narrowed valve. This technology has been highly successful in appropriately selected patients. When feasible, TAVR provides quick recovery.

  • Aortic valve repair

    In select patients with leaky aortic valves, the native valve can be salvaged and repaired through advanced techniques. This avoids implanting a prosthetic valve altogether.

  • The Ross Procedure

    In patients younger than 60 years of age with aortic valve pathology, where the valve is not salvageable, this complex procedure still avoids implanting a prosthetic valve. This is accomplished by using the patient’s pulmonary valve to replace the aortic valve. This offers many benefits including the ability to live an active lifestyle, avoid blood thinners, and enable young females to conceive. Our team is the only one in the region with expertise in providing this kind of operation.

• Mitral valve dysfunction | Our team provides the full spectrum of mitral valve surgeries, including highly complex mitral valve repairs which have well-established benefits over replacements in appropriate candidates. Our team also offers advanced mitral surgery through a minimally invasive approach that is not only cosmetically superior but also provides a quicker recovery and return to normal lifestyle.

• Tricuspid valve dysfunction | We offer the full range of tricuspid valve therapies including complex reconstructions, repairs, and replacements.

Aortic Surgery

Our expert heart surgeons have extensive expertise in the entire spectrum of thoracic aortic interventions. Depending on the segment of the aorta affected, different procedures may be indicated.

• Aortic root replacement using a prosthetic valve (Bentall operation)

• Aortic root replacement with valve-sparing (David V operation)

• Replacement of the ascending aorta, aortic arch, and/or thoraco-abdominal operations to replace the aorta extending to its bifurcation in the pelvis.

• Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) | In suitable patients, our team can repair some parts of the aorta can be repaired using a stent delivered from the groin to cover and exclude the diseased parts of the aorta.

Atrial Fibrillation Surgery

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common heart rhythm abnormality. It can cause symptoms but can also predispose to clot formation inside the heart that may lead to disabling strokes. Our team offers a wide range of ablation procedures (including the l Maze IV procedure) that aim to interrupt abnormal impulses and revert the heart to a normal rhythm. This can decrease the stroke risk to a rate comparable to the general population.