Saint Francis Medical Center's Heart Hospital is staffed with experienced cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons, cardiologists, nurses and technologists 24 hours a day to perform a variety of procedures and treatments, including:
Abdominal aortic aneurysm stent grafting
Aneurysms occur when the walls of the artery weaken and expand like a balloon. The surgeon places a fabric-covered mesh tube, called a stent, inside the ballooned portion of the artery. Blood flows through the stent instead of the weakened portion of the artery, eliminating the risk of the aneurysm bursting.
Automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator
An automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD) continuously monitors the heart for any rapid and/or irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias). When the AICD detects an arrhythmia, it delivers therapy to the heart automatically.
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery
In this procedure the blood supply is rerouted around a blocked section of a coronary artery. Surgeons remove healthy blood vessels from another part of the body, such as the leg or chest wall, and attach the vessels to the diseased artery so blood can flow around the blocked section.
Coronary and peripheral stenting
Stenting uses a wire mesh tube to open an artery. The stent is collapsed to a small diameter and put over a balloon catheter. It is moved into the area of blockage. The balloon is then expanded, which expands the stent and locks it in place. The balloon is removed and the stent remains in place to hold the artery open.
Endovascular stent graft
The surgeon places a fabric-covered mesh tube inside the ballooned portion of the artery, known as an aneurysm. Blood flows through the stent instead of the weakened portion of the artery, eliminating the risk of the aneurysm bursting.
Heart port
Heart port is a surgical technique that allows the surgeon to perform heart surgery through one or more small holes, known as ports, in the chest.
Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass
This procedure is performed when only one or two arteries are bypassed. It combines the use of small holes, known as ports, in the chest and a small incision made directly over the coronary artery to be bypassed. In most cases, the surgeon detaches an artery from inside the chest wall and reattaches it to the clogged coronary artery.
Minimally invasive valve replacement
Using one or more small incisions in the chest, the cardiovascular surgeon can repair heart valves that are not functioning properly.
Off-pump coronary artery bypass or beating-heart bypass
Coronary artery bypass surgery is performed without the use of a heart and lung machine. The heart is slowed and a stabilizer is used on the part of the heart where the bypass is to occur. The bypass is performed and the stabilizer is removed.
Pacemaker implant
A pacemaker sends electrical impulses to the heart to help it pump properly. The battery and electrical circuits are implanted in the body, usually under the shoulder or in the abdomen. Wires are placed on the heart muscle to deliver the small amount of electrical current needed to treat the abnormal rhythm.
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
This procedure is used to widen narrowed arteries. A catheter with a deflated balloon at its tip is inserted into the narrow part of the artery. The balloon is inflated, which compresses the plaque and enlarges the inner diameter of the blood vessel so blood can flow more easily. After this is complete, the balloon is deflated and removed with the catheter.