Open Heart Surgery is any surgery where the chest is opened and surgery is performed on the heart. The term "open" refers to the chest, not the heart itself (which may or may not be opened depending on the type of surgery.)  Open heart surgery includes surgery on the heart muscle, valves, arteries, or other structures.

Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

When severe atherosclerosis (fats/cholesterol blocking the arteries) occurs inside the coronary arteries there is less room for blood to flow. When the heart muscle cannot receive adequate blood supply through those arteries, heart pain (angina) or heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs.

Coronary bypass surgery is done to relieve blockage of the blood vessels of the heart muscle. Artery or vein grafts are used to bypass the blockage thereby bringing in a new blood supply to the heart muscle.

Coronary artery bypass is recommended when one or more coronary arteries are seriously blocked. Several tests will be done to identify the cause of the chest pain before surgery is recommended. This is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in North America.

Heart Valve Surgery

There are four valves that control the proper direction of blood flow through the heart. Valves can become blocked or they can leak. There are a variety of options in the surgical treatment of heart valve disease including valve repair or replacement. Replacement valves can be human (homografts), animal, or mechanical.

Thoracic Aorta Repairs

The blood that is pumped out of the heart to the rest of the body is transported by a large blood vessel called the aorta. The thoracic aorta is found in the chest. The aorta can enlarge from atherosclerosis and become aneurysmal. When aneurysms get very large or cause sysmptoms they can be repaired with various surgical techniques and/or stents.

General Thoracic Surgery

There are other organs located in the chest besides the heart. These include the lungs, esophagus, and major blood vessels to name a few. We offer specialization in the surgical management of diseases of these other organs. Lung resections for cancer are one of the common procedures we perform in addition to all other general thoracic operations.

Atrial Fibrillation Surgery

Atrial fibrillation is a common irregular heart rhythm. It can cause strokes and heart failure if not controlled. We can surgically treat this disease in select patients.

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