Treatments and Services

Some malfunctioning heart valves can be repaired while others must be replaced. For select patients, repair and/or replacement of a heart valve is feasible through a minimally invasive approach. 

The Maze procedure is a surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation, which can often be done using minimally invasive techniques. To perform the surgery, the surgeons use radiofrequency energy, or freezing, to create an intricate "maze" pattern of scar on the upper chamber of the heart muscle.

A thoracic aortic aneurysm occurs when the aorta, the main artery that brings blood to the body, has an outpouching, or aneurysm, because the artery wall has become weakened. Left untreated, the aneurysm can tear or burst, causing death.

A thoracic aortic aneurysm occurs when the aorta, a larger artery shaped like a cane that feeds blood to the body, has a weakened area near the heart. The weakened area balloons our, causing blood that should flow through the artery to pool and become stuck in the ballooned area.  Left untreated, the aneurysm can rupture, or pop, causing death. Traditional surgery involving open the chest is the main treatment, especially if the aneurysm has grown large or is causing symptoms. But a less invasive approach is also available. 

Transmyocardial laser revascularization (also called TMR) is a treatment for patients with coronary artery disease who have not responded to or are not eligible for procedures such as angioplasty and stenting, medication, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery.  For these patients, this surgical procedure is used to relieve angina (chest pain) that is generally caused by a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the heart.

The heart is made up of four chambers, the two upper chambers are called the atria and the two lower chambers are the ventricles. A ventricular aneurysm occurs when one of the ventricles has a weakening and is expanded and bulged like a balloon.

Following a heart attack, a small number of patients will develop a ventricular septal defect, a hole in the wall (septum) that separates the ventricles. Repair involves opening the chest and placing a patch that is sutured in place to cover the hole between the two ventricles.