Top-Ranked Surgical Care
Cardiovascular surgery at Mercy Hospital is a comprehensive service and the backbone of cardiovascular care that has earned recognition of Mercy Hospital as a Thomson Reuters Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospital in the United States, four years in a row.


Our expert cardiac surgical team performs a variety of procedures, including:

Coronary Artery By-Pass Graft (CABG) Surgery
During a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), blood flow is rerouted through a new artery or vein that is grafted around diseased sections of coronary arteries to increase blood flow to the heart muscle. These cases typically require open-chest surgery and the use of a heart-lung bypass machine to circulate the blood and add oxygen.

Mitral Valve Repair and Replacement
Located between the left atrium and the left ventricle chambers of the heart, the mitral valve regulates blood flow on the left side of the heart. The left atrium collects blood that has been oxygenated in the lungs. As the heart relaxes, this blood flows across the mitral valve and into the left ventricle. The purpose of the mitral valve is to stop blood from flowing back into the left atrium when the powerful left ventricle contracts. When the mitral valve is not functioning properly, it must be repaired. There are several different approaches to the repair or replacement of the mitral valve. Your doctor can discuss options with you.

Aortic Valve Repair or Replacement
A range of diseases can affect the aortic valve; the valve can either become leaky (aortic insufficiency/regurgitation) or partially blocked (aortic stenosis). Aortic valve replacement is a surgical procedure in which a patient's aortic valve is replaced. Aortic valve replacement currently requires open heart surgery.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair
When a weak area of the abdominal aorta expands or bulges, it's called anabdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The pressure from blood flowing through your abdominal aorta can cause a weakened part of the aorta to bulge, much like a balloon. Aneurysms are a health risk because they can burst or rupture. During an open aneurysm repair, also known as surgical aneurysmrepair, your surgeon makes an incision in your abdomen and replaces the weakened part of your aorta with a tube-like replacement called an aortic graft.

Tricuspid Valve Repair
The tricuspid valve is located between the right atrium (top chamber) and right ventricle (bottom chamber). Its role is to make sure blood flows in a forward direction from the right atrium to the ventricle. When valve disease is severe, it may be necessary to repair or replace the diseased valve.

Carotid Endarterectomy
Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA) is a surgical procedure used to prevent stroke, by correcting stenosis (narrowing) in the carotid artery(ies) located on either side of the neck. Endarterectomy involves the removal of material on the inside of an artery. The surgeon opens the artery and removes the plaque.

Femoral Popliteal Artery By-Pass
The femoral and popliteal arteries are located in the legs. Their function is to supply the legs with oxygen-rich blood and nutrients. They can sometimes become blocked. Femoral popliteal bypass is the surgical opening of the upper leg to directly visualize the femoral artery. This is performed to bypass the blocked portion of the artery using a piece of another blood vessel. Blood vessels, or vein grafts, used for the bypass procedure may be pieces of a vein taken from the legs. One end of the vein graft is attached above the blockage and the other end is attached below the blockage, rerouting blood flow around the blockage through the new graft to reach the muscle.

Video Assisted Thoracoscopy (VAT) Surgery
Less invasive thoracoscopy, also called VATS (video-assisted thoracic surgery), can offer a more accurate diagnosis to treat various diseases of the chest, including pleural conditions, infections, nodules, esophageal conditions, tumors and cysts of the mediastinum (the tissues of the center of the chest).

Pericardial Window Procedures
Procedure used to relieve fluid from the pericardium. The pericardium is the thin sac or membrane surrounding the heart muscle.

Lung Resection
Resection of the lung is a cardiovascular surgical operation where a part of a lung is removed. It is done to remove a localized portion of diseased lung, such as early stage lung cancer.

Mediastinoscopy
Mediastinoscopy is a surgical procedure that enables visualization of the contents of the mediastinum, or central chest cavity, usually for the purpose of obtaining a biopsy.

Post-Surgical Care
After surgery, patients recover in the Mercy Hospital Intensive Care Unit. Here, nurses and doctors trained specifically in post-operative care tend to the needs of patients during the critical hours after heart surgery.
From Mercy's ICU, patients recuperate in a special acute care floor, where they benefit from 24-hour monitoring.

Cardiac Rehabilitation
Repairing the heart is only the first step. The choices our patients make after their surgery go a long way toward helping them return to a life of health and vigor.

Upbeat, friendly and knowledgeable, Mercy's Cardiac Rehabilitation Team takes an individual approach that helps rebuild our patients' hearts and lives. The team includes exercise specialists, cardiac care nurses, nutritionists and even the company of fellow patients who have come through the program and are now living new healthy lifestyles.

Mercy's Cardiac Rehabilitation Department is nationally certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR).