The Center for Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery specializes in operations of the organ systems within the chest (thoracic) cavity. This includes operations on the heart, the aorta and other blood vessels, the lungs, and soft tissues in the chest. The board-certified cardiothoracic surgeons have extensive clinical and academic experience.
For years open heart surgery has been performed through a median sternotomy. This is an incision in the front of the chest and involves cutting the breast-bone (sternum) to gain access to the heart which lies behind it. Minimally-invasive cardiac surgery involves smaller incisions in the side of the chest and these incisions do not involve cutting the sternum. Such smaller and less traumatic incisions are associated with less bleeding and infection, while affording the patient the same success rate as with the conventional surgery.
For example, the mitral valve repair or replacement can be performed through a 4-5 cm (2 inch) long incision in the right chest. Using endoscopic instruments or the daVinci® S HD™ Surgical System, the surgeon can perform the same operation as a conventional mitral valve surgery through a sternotomy. In many cases, using a similar incision on the left side, surgeons can perform coronary artery bypass operation.
 |  |
| Conventional Heart Surgery | Mitral Valve Surgery |
Hackensack University Medical Center offers patients the following open heart operations, often using a minimally invasive approach:
Be Informed
Follow this link for information on what to expect during and after your surgery.
You can also play an important role in maximizing your health by knowing about the risk factors for heart disease, and knowing how to minimize your risk.
Research
Hackensack University Medical Center is also leading the way in some pioneering research. Cardiac surgeons in the Center for Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery are working with industry and other leading academic institutions in developing new techniques for minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery and for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (the most common rhythm disturbance of the heart). Results of these studies will be beneficial to the thousands of patients who undergo open heart surgery every year.
