Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery Service

​The minimally invasive heart surgery service offers consulting, follow-up and treatment in a broad range of heart conditions, such as:

• Valve complications: During early stages of cardiac valve disease, patients can be stabilized using proper medical therapy; however, as a valve condition worsens, surgery is required to repair or replace the damaged valve. Further deterioration in valve condition can damage the heart, cause cardiac failure and even result in death.
• Narrowing of the coronary arteries: The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle. Occluded or narrowed coronary arteries can sometimes be treated with medication or stents via cardiac catheterization; however, patients with multiple coronary artery narrowings may require surgery to bypass the narrowed arteries. This treatment has been proven to be the most effective long-term option for patients with significant coronary disease.
• Defects in the heart septum: Defects (holes) in the heart walls (septum) may endanger the patient and lead to cardiac failure or heightened risk for stroke. At times, these holes can be occluded with cardiac catheterization, but at other times, due to hole diameter or location, patients require surgical intervention.
• Heart tumors: Generally, large tumors in or around the heart that endanger a patient should be surgically removed.
• Atrial tachycardia conditions (such as atrial fibrillation): These arrhythmias expose the patient to risk of heart function deterioration and stroke, and often require patients to take blood thinners (anticoagulants) over the long term. Surgical approaches can offer long-term solutions to treating arrhythmias effectively.