The heart program's growth highlights dedicated people working together to provide the best possible care. Division of Cardiac Surgery continues to be on the leading edge of programs for both acquired and congenital heart disease, often setting the standards for institutions worldwide. In state-of-the-art operating facilities, world-renowned surgeons work with cardiac anesthesiologists and a specialized nursing staff to provide patients with the best cardiac care possible. Many aspects of the division's activities work in association with other subspecialties and involve multidisciplinary approaches to evaluation, management, and treatment. As a result, the patients receive supportive care that is tailored to their particular needs and, in some instances, through clinical trials, have access to pioneering treatment not available anywhere else in the region.

The cardiac care includes prevention and early detection programs, emergency care, advanced diagnostic and treatment capabilities, cardiac, pulmonary, and peripheral vascular rehabilitation, and a nationally recognized surgery program that performs more open-heart surgeries than any other hospital in the region.

Cardiac surgery services include:

• Coronary artery bypass surgery  
• Valve replacement  
• Valve preservation and repair
• Repair of aneurysm  
• Percutaneous endovascular stint graft repair
• Surgery for cardiac arrhythmias  
• Surgery for heart tumors
• Treatment of pericardial
• Treatment of congenital heart disease

Diagnosis

Tests and procedures that detect heart muscle damage include:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG) to record electrical activity in the heart muscle. They may confirm that a heart attack has occurred. Continuous ECG monitoring (known as telemetry) allows the doctor to detect and immediately treat any unstable heart rhythms caused by the damaged heart muscle and sluggish pumping that follows a heart attack.
• Blood tests to show an increase in heart muscle enzymes that are released from the damaged heart cells into the blood after a heart attack. .
• Chest x-rays to check the size of the heart and evaluate the lungs for fluid overload.
• Echocardiogram to evaluate the heart's pumping function and the heart valves.
• Nuclear Scan to determine if the heart muscle is irreversibly damaged or may be improved by restoring blood flow.
• Cardiac catheterization to assess the coronary arteries and the extent of injury.