Cardiothoracic Surgery

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Guthrie knows a thing or two about cardiac surgery. One is that quality counts. Two is that people prefer to receive their care close to home. If you can provide both, you’ve got a winning combination.

Guthrie’s Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery has been practicing that winning combination for many years. Thousands of people from in and around the region have experienced our approach to patient care--one that incorporates surgical expertise and a compassionate, supportive environment.

Guthrie treats a broad spectrum of heart conditions, both acquired and congenital, as well as benign and malignant diseases of the chest. We continually seek new technologies and advances to further enhance the level of care provided. Patients who may not have been candidates for conventional treatments are benefited by revolutionary new procedures such as cutting-balloon angioplasty, beating-heart coronary artery bypass grafting and transmyocardial revascularization (TMR.)

The following are some of the procedures employed by Guthrie's cardiothoracic surgery team.

Bloodless Surgery -- an advanced method that avoids the use of donor blood during surgery. The technique minimizes blood loss both prior to and during surgery, as well as during post-operative care.

Cardiac Valve Surgery -- repair or replacement of diseased or damaged heart valves.

Congenital Heart Defects -- diagnosis and treatment of cardiac defects present at birth.

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) -- is a surgical procedure performed to improve blood flow to the heart when blood vessels are blocked. During the surgery, the patient is placed on a heart bypass machine (heart-lung machine) so the surgeon can operate on a non-beating heart. Veins or arteries from the patient's leg or chest are used to bypass the diseased arteries, creating a new route for oxygen-rich blood to flow to the heart.

Esophageal Surgery -- surgical intervention for diseases of the esophagus.

Laser Bronchoscopy -- use of a laser to remove benign or malignant obstructions of the bronchi or trachea.

Laser Lung Resection -- removal of diseased portions of the lung using lasers in place of conventional surgical techniques.

Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery -- cardiothoracic surgery performed through a small surgical incision in the chest cavity, which makes for a faster recovery.

Pacemaker Implantation -- implantation of cardiac pacemakers to control irregular heartbeat.

Thoracic Aorta Surgery -- repair of the major blood vessel of the chest.

Thoracoscopy -- an examination of the chest cavity using a special instrument called a thoracoscope, which uses a light and a telescoping attachment to visualize the chest cavity. The thoracoscope is inserted through an incision in the chest.

Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR) -- a surgical procedure that uses a low-energy laser beam to create channels in the heart, increasing blood circulation and reducing angina pain.

Ventricular Assist Device -- an implantable heart pump, often called a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), can significantly extend and improve the lives of terminally ill patients with end-stage heart failure who are not eligible for a heart transplant.