Cardiac surgery

If you’re faced with a heart condition, surgery may be your best option. At Penn Medicine, our internationally recognized heart surgeons care for every cardiac need from routine to highly complex. Our surgeons perform more than 3,000 procedures each year. This expertise leads to advanced treatments, improved results, and more choices in cardiovascular surgery, enabling patients like you to return to their daily lives.

Your Penn Medicine care team is by your side from your first consultation through recovery. We know that hearing that you need cardiac surgery can be overwhelming. Our team is here to answer your questions, listen to your concerns, and help you schedule appointments and follow-ups.

During your surgery, a dedicated staff of cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, specially trained nurses, advanced practitioners, and support staff will help care for you during the procedure. We collaborate on a detailed process to eliminate complications and ensure you and your family receive the necessary education and support.

After the surgery, patients receive care 24 hours a day in our specialized heart surgery intensive care unit by trained cardiac staff members who deliver skilled, compassionate care day and night. In addition, our team of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation experts helps you recover in a safe, supported environment.

Our state-of-the-art hybrid operating room (OR) combines the capabilities of a heart catheterization lab with a heart surgery operating room. It offers new options for people who need complex cardiovascular surgeries. In our hybrid OR, cardiologists, vascular surgeons, and cardiac surgeons work side by side. They perform procedures that require both surgical and interventional cardiology expertise.

Pioneering innovations in high-risk cardiac surgery

We always strive to perform your operation in the least invasive manner possible. Our surgeons are leaders in developing and using innovative approaches for procedures like coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Though sometimes open-heart surgery is necessary, whenever possible we perform CABG using smaller incisions, often assisted by a surgical robot. This technology offers surgeons the ability to make very precise movements and only requires small incisions resulting in less pain and a quicker recovery. Our program ranks among the elite for coronary bypass surgery.

The Penn Medicine team interventionalists 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 among the best transcatheter valve programs in the nation, pushing the limits of that procedure and redefining its use for other cardiac needs.

Our hospitals are highly ranked by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) TVT Registry for both CABG and TAVR procedures. These esteemed rankings demonstrate our commitment to high quality care and positive outcomes.

Board-certified surgeons and magnet-recognized nurses

When you choose us for heart surgery, you’re cared for by a highly experienced team of surgeons, advanced practice providers (APPs), intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, and other supportive staff.

• Board-certified, fellowship-trained surgeons: Fellowship training means our surgeons have advanced training that ensures they’re skilled in all aspects of cardiothoracic surgery. It also gives them expertise in complex operations. They’re experts in heart valve repair, surgery for abnormal heart rhythms, and surgery for related conditions.
• Magnet-recognized nurses: The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program® is only awarded to health-care organizations that achieve the highest levels of nursing excellence. We’re one of just 23 organizations worldwide to earn Magnet designation five times in a row. Our highly skilled and compassionate nurses provide you with the highest level of care possible.

Leading heart surgery experts offering innovative care close to home

We’re a regional heart surgery leader specializing in the latest techniques and technologies. Our specialists are committed to guiding you through diagnosis, surgery, and recovery.

• Experience: Our internationally and nationally recognized cardiothoracic surgeons perform thousands of procedures every year. Whether your heart surgery is routine, complex, or first-if-its-kind, we have the skill and experience to provide a great outcome.
• Convenience: You don’t have to travel far to receive world-class heart and vascular treatment. We care for all your needs—from heart imaging and surgery to cardiac rehab—at convenient locations throughout the greater Philadelphia, Lancaster, and Princeton regions.
• Comfort: We’ve remodeled our patient and procedure areas to be larger, more efficient, and technologically advanced. This means you’ll have a customized care experience designed with your comfort in mind.