Cardiac Surgery

The Cardiac Surgery program at NHRMC Heart Center includes a team of cardio-thoracic surgeons and specially trained clinicians who perform more than 550 surgical procedures each year.

Advanced Surgical Care at NHRMC Heart Center

Each patient has unique medical and surgical needs. The surgeons who practice at NHRMC Heart Center carefully evaluate and plan each patient's treatment to get the best results with the fewest side effects possible. Some patients will benefit from newer, less invasive techniques; others do better with more traditional surgeries. Be sure to talk with your doctor about which option is best for you.

Types of cardiac surgery performed at NHRMC Heart Center include:

Open Heart Surgery

Surgeons at NHRMC Heart Center perform more than 500 open-heart procedures a year. In open-heart surgery, a large incision is made in the chest to open the rib cage and operate on the heart. The patient is connected to a heart-lung bypass machine to maintain the heart's pumping action and move blood away from the heart while the surgery is performed. Open-heart surgeries performed at NHRMC Heart Center include coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), heart valve repair or replacement, and treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Off-Pump Heart Surgery

Though conventional coronary artery bypass graft surgery remains the predominant bypass procedure, some patients may benefit from less invasive bypass techniques. When appropriate, doctors at the Heart Center perform operations that are off-pump, meaning the heart remains beating during the procedure, eliminating the need for a heart-lung machine. Off-pump heart surgery is limited to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery

NHRMC Heart Center surgeons use minimally invasive surgical techniques for some patients when appropriate. In these procedures, small incisions are made between the ribs instead of opening the breastbone to reach the heart. Minimally invasive surgeries generally require less recovery time than traditional procedures. Minimally invasive heart surgeries performed at NHRMC Heart Center include some coronary bypass surgeries and heart valve repair or replacement surgeries, and surgeries used to insert pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).

Treatment Team

Cardiac Surgical Services is staffed by cardio-thoracic surgeons, physician's assistants, and anesthesiologists specifically trained to care for patients undergoing open heart surgery. The program also has on staff highly skilled operating room nurses and technicians, an immediate recovery nursing staff, patient educators, and discharge planners.

Compassionate Assistance

At NHRMC Heart Center, we understand what a traumatic event heart surgery can be for patients and their families. Heart Center staff members actively involve the family at every stage of preparation and recovery, from our comprehensive pre-operative and post-surgical teaching program to discharge planning.