The Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery is one of the largest, most experienced cardiac surgery groups in the world. Each year, our surgeons care for thousands of patients, young and old, who require virtually every type of heart surgery including coronary artery bypass surgery; elective or emergency surgery for aortic aneurysm, heart valve surgery for heart valve disease (such as mitral regurgitation or aortic stenosis); and surgery for coronary artery disease, arrhythmias (such as atrial fibrillation), heart failure, Marfan syndrome, and other less common conditions.
Our staff works with the newest surgical techniques, equipment and devices.
One of the most frequent operations performed is heart bypass surgery. The mortality for primary isolated CABG was 0.6%, well below the national average reported by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
Some of our patients come to us for second or even third heart bypass surgery. We also operate on people who have been told that they are too elderly for a heart bypass or that their condition is inoperable. The depth and breadth of our experience with all kinds of cases allows us to handle these more complex operations with success rates above the national average.
We are also able to offer the very newest techniques including minimally invasive surgery, off-pump bypass, robotically assisted heart surgery, and laser surgery techniques. Minimally invasive surgery reduces the size of the surgical incision, blood loss, and length of stay in the hospital. Off-pump surgery, also called beating-heart surgery, allows the patient to forego cardiopulmonary support (connection to a heart-lung machine). Instead, the bypass is done while the heart is beating. The precise area of operation is stilled with high-tech stabilizing devices. Robotic assisted surgery is another type of minimally invasive heart surgery, which uses robots to assist in making smaller keyhole incisions. TMR (Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization) is a laser heart surgery procedure for inoperable coronary artery disease patients, giving new hope for improved quality of life and symptom relief for those with severe angina (chest pain).
Our heart valve surgeons have the largest heart valve surgery practice in the U.S. Operations performed include valve repair, replacement, and combined surgical procedures using tissue valves, mechanical valves, and homografts. In spite of the increasing complexity and rate of reoperations, overall operative mortality for heart valve procedures is 2.9%, far below the reported national average. Mortality for isolated mitral valve repair is 0%, much lower than The Society of Thoracic Surgeons' (STS) 1.5%. Mortality for isolated aortic valve surgery is also significantly lower than the STS benchmark.
Surgery of the aorta and surgery for Marfan Syndrome is performed by the Aorta Center, Marfan Syndrome Clinic, and Connective Tissue Disorder surgeons. These operations represent some of the most complicated cases, for which experience is extremely important.
Cleveland Clinic's heart transplant program is one of the three largest transplant programs in the United States. Our surgeons have a vast experience with left ventricular assist devices, or LVADs, that help the heart pump. These devices ease symptoms of heart failure and help improve patients' quality of life.
The Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and its affiliates perform a high volume and variety of procedures. It has been demonstrated that improved clinical outcomes are linked to centers with high surgical volumes. Learn more about our Affiliate Cardiothoracic Surgery Programs.
Learn more about our surgical outcomes.
Take a look at the following related information on our website:
Patient Care
Research
Information for Health Care Professionals
Thoracic Surgery Department information
If you need more information, contact us, chat online with a nurse or call the Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute Resource & Information Nurse at 216.445.9288 or toll-free at 866.289.6911. We would be happy to help you.
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