The Penn Medicine Advantage
If you're faced with a heart condition, surgery may be a lifesaving option. At Penn Medicine, our internationally recognized heart surgeons care for every cardiac need — from routine to highly complex.
You can trust Penn to deliver leading-edge cardiac surgical care with compassion. Our surgeons perform more than 3,000 procedures each year with impressive outcomes: U.S. News & World Report ranks the Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania-Penn Presbyterian #1 in Pennsylvania and high performing in all heart surgery-related disciplines. Learn more about the conditions we treat and surgical procedures we offer.
Innovations in Heart Surgery
We always strive to perform your operation in the least invasive manner possible. Sometimes open-heart surgery is necessary. Our surgeons are leaders in developing and using innovative approaches for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. We perform CABG using smaller incisions, often assisted by a surgical robot, whenever possible.
The Penn team of cardiologists and surgeons were early adopters of catheter-based approaches (which use tiny tubes inserted through a vein), such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Now, we're pushing the limits of that procedure and redefining its use for other cardiac needs. Learn more about minimally invasive heart surgery.
Cardiac Surgery Designed for Results
Our surgeons have specialized skills and deep experience performing heart surgery. As a result, we deliver some of the highest success rates and lowest complication rates in the country. We designed our surgical processes to give you the best possible outcomes:
- We maximize a patient's physical readiness before they undergo surgery.
- Our dedicated cardiac anesthesia team has extra training to keep you comfortable and safe before, during and after heart surgery.
- Penn Medicine's outpatient cardiac rehab team provides an individualized plan to help you get back to the things you love.
- Our specially trained advanced care providers and support staff ensure patients and their families receive information and support every step of the way. Meet our treatment team.
Team Approach to Heart Care
Our surgeons and interventional cardiologists often work together in one of our state-of-the-art hybrid operating rooms. These surgical suites offer the latest technologies for performing both traditional heart operations and catheter-based procedures at the same time. The benefit to patients is that they only need to undergo general anesthesia once.
We also work closely with vascular surgeons if a patient has aortic disease that extends into the abdomen. Learn more about the Penn Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy Program.
Training Tomorrow's Cardiac Surgeons
Our cardiac surgery training program is known as one of the best in the country. We train our surgeons in every form of heart surgery: open surgery, robotic surgery and catheter-based surgery. Our trainees learn to collaborate with cardiologists, electrophysiologists and vascular surgeons. This approach guarantees they have the skills to provide the right treatment for each patient.