Cardiac Surgery

When nonsurgical treatments aren’t sufficient to treat your heart condition, the heart surgeons at Adventist Health provide expert surgical care.

We use advanced technology and surgical techniques to achieve the best outcome for you. Our focus on quality and our dedicated rehabilitation team support your safe, smooth recovery.

Expert surgical care

Adventist Health’s cardiac surgeons provide advanced care for even the most complex heart conditions. We make an accurate diagnosis using sophisticated cardiac imaging technology.

Then we determine which surgical procedure is best for your needs. Our team has experience in the latest techniques, including minimally invasive procedures.

Our heart surgeons work with specialists in electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, cardiac emergency care and anesthesiology. We bring you a wide range of expertise, so you receive the most appropriate treatment.

What to expect from cardiac surgery

You may have many questions about your heart surgery. Our team educates you about your treatment options and what to expect. We walk you through every stage of your procedure, so you are confident in your treatment plan.

Our top priority in surgery is providing a safe, effective procedure that will give you the best possible results. Adventist Health leads the way in quality initiatives, including our involvement in state and federal measurement programs.

We continue to support your safe and smooth recovery through cardiac rehabilitation. Our caring rehabilitation team works with you to rebuild strength and endurance so you can return to the activities you enjoy.

Procedures we perform

Our cardiac surgeons perform a full range of procedures, including:

• Open-heart surgery: We make incisions in your chest to access and repair your heart. During surgery, we stop your heart and use a bypass machine that takes over the work of the heart.
• Beating-heart surgery: We operate without stopping the heart or a bypass machine. Instead, we use a device to stabilize the area. This method can speed the recovery process and lower the risk of complications.
• Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG): We transplant blood vessels from another part of the body, often using a minimally invasive method called endoscopic vein harvesting. We connect these veins to a blocked artery, creating a new channel for blood to flow through.
• Minimally invasive, robotically assisted heart surgery: Compared to more traditional open-chest surgery, in which the surgeon must split the breastbone to access the heart, minimally invasive surgery is performed through a few tiny incisions between the ribs of your chest.
• Heart valve surgery: We repair or replace one or more valves that aren’t working properly. For example, we repair leaky valves that are causing blood to flow backward into the heart.

In addition to cardiac procedures, we perform neurovascular operations, including:

• Carotid stenting: We insert a collapsible mesh tube to improve blood flow into one or more carotid arteries. These major blood vessels in your neck supply blood to your brain, neck and face.
• Aortic aneurysm and dissection repair: We surgically repair aortic aneurysms (bulges in the wall of your body’s largest blood vessel).