Major Repairs for Heart Disease with Minor Incisions, Exceptional Precision
Penn surgeons are working to perfect cardiovascular surgery with minimally invasive procedures that can reduce patients' post-operative pain, risk of infection, scarring and recovery times.
Experience Counts
Minimally invasive techniques require much smaller incisions than those used in traditional “open” procedures. They also require a high level of expertise from the surgeons who perform them.
With over two decades of experience and higher volumes than many other centers in the United States, Penn cardiovascular surgeons are among the nation's most experienced in all forms of minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery. Many Penn surgeons were there when the field was in its infancy and are now teaching their highly refined skills to surgeons around the world. Today, Penn surgeons are inventing newer, even less invasive approaches and publishing landmark articles about them.
A Growing Number of Options for Minimally Invasive Procedures
Penn's complete range of minimally invasive procedures for heart conditions includes:
- Mitral and aortic valve repair and replacement.
- Percutaneous (catheter-based) aortic valve replacement to treat aortic stenosis.
- Coronary artery bypass, also known as:
- Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB).
- Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB).
- Robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass (RACAB).
- Implantation of ventricular assist devices (VADs).
- Procedures to treat congenital heart conditions such as atrial septal defects (ASDs) and patent foramen ovales (PFOs) (holes in the heart).
- Surgical radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation.
- Vein harvesting for bypass surgery.
Advanced Expertise Offers New Opportunities
Advanced proficiency with such a broad range of minimally invasive techniques allows Penn surgeons to:
- Tailor every operation to the patient's unique needs and condition.
- Correct multiple problems during a single minimally invasive procedure.
- Treat higher risk patients, even those who may have previously been told surgery was not an option.
Need an appointment? Request one online 24 hours/day, 7 days/week or call 800-789-PENN (7366) to speak to a referral counselor.