Heart and vascular surgery

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a ballooning blood vessel in a major artery in the body. Our vascular surgeons perform stent insertion procedures to repair this problem.

These procedures have significantly shorter recovery times than open-surgeries. You typically remain in the hospital overnight following the procedure and are discharged the next day.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, also known as heart bypass surgery, may be performed for people who have blockages in one or more coronary arteries. These blockages restrict the blood flow to the heart muscle.

During a CABG, a vein from the leg or chest wall is used to "bypass" the blocked portion of the narrowed coronary artery to restore adequate blood flow to the heart muscle. This surgical procedure is typically used to treat obstructive coronary artery disease and can be used during a heart attack.

The heart has four valves (aortic, mitral, tricuspid and pulmonic), and any of them may become damaged or diseased and require surgery. Our highly skilled cardiothoracic surgeons have extensive experience in valve replacement and repair using a variety of techniques.

You may require heart valve replacement surgery using a traditional sternotomy (incision through the breast bone) or open-heart surgery. However, many valve replacements are able to be performed using advanced minimally invasive techniques.

Minimally invasive procedures are beneficial alternatives to traditional open-heart surgeries. This is because minimally invasive procedures require significantly smaller incisions and use smaller instruments, such as catheters, endoscopes and laparoscopes. Benefits for patients include less postoperative pain and scarring and a shorter recovery time.

Some of the cardiovascular minimally invasive procedures we perform include:

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)

TAVR is a minimally invasive surgical procedure to repair a narrowed aortic valve. It involves implanting an expandable balloon valve replacement into the heart. This minimally invasive technique reduces blood loss, pain and overall recovery time.

Although not everyone is a candidate for TAVR, our cardiothoracic surgery team will evaluate you individually. They will work closely with you to determine which surgical technique is most appropriate and effective for you.

Radial heart catheterization

Our radial artery cardiac catheterization technique provides a less invasive approach for correcting blockages. Our cardiac specialists guide a catheter through the wrist to detect and correct blockages in the heart. You can often go home within hours of the completion of this procedure.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS)

VATS is another type of minimally invasive surgery used for the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of conditions affecting the chest area. Most commonly, VATS is used to remove small cancerous areas on the lungs.

In addition to the surgeries above and a range of other minimally invasive vascular diagnostic and interventional surgeries, we also offer:

• Access surgery
• Carotid endarterectomy
• Peripheral vascular procedures
• Radiofrequency heart ablation
• Vascular bypass

We understand your care is not complete once we have performed your surgery. That's why our licensed and compassionate rehabilitation therapists are committed to providing restorative physical therapy and rehabilitative care following your surgical procedure.

In fact, we offer the only cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program in Citrus County and five convenient physical therapy and rehabilitation centers in the region. At each of our centers, you will find the rehabilitative therapies, personalized methods and advanced technologies you need for a full and fast recovery.