The state-of-the-art surgical suites at Arkansas Heart Hospital are designed to provide heart surgery as well as thoracic and peripheral vascular surgical procedures. All operating rooms are equipped with advanced hemodynamic (blood flow) monitoring equipment and emergency equipment needed to provide quality care.

Every patient taken to surgery will be assessed and cared for by a registered nurse. The attending surgeon, in conjunction with the anesthesiologist, will treat each patient based on his/her pre-operative assessment. The Post Anesthesia Care Unit is equipped to provide one-on-one nursing care for the hours immediately following a surgical procedure.

A variety of surgical procedures are available.

Operating Room Procedures

• AICD/Pacemaker lead extractions and epicardial lead placements
• Amputations
• Aneurysm Repair (Thoracic / Abdominal / Pseudo (Groin)
• Aorta-Bifem
• Aortic Arch Replacement
• Appendectomy
• Axillary femoral bypass
• Biopsies
• CABG (Heart bypass) – on pump
• CABG (Heart bypass) – off pump
• Carotid Endarterectomy
• Cholecystectomy
• Dialysis shunts
• Endoscopic Vein Harvesting
• Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair
• Femoral Femoral Bypass
• Femoral Popliteal Bypass
• Femoral Tibial Bypass
• Femoral to popliteal and Femoral to tibial bypass
• Heart Valve repair and/or replacement
• Hernia repairs
• Konno procedures
• Laparoscopic Surgery: Cholecystectomy/Thoracoscopy/Appendectomy
• Laparotomy
• Maze Procedure
• Open Thoracotomy
• Pneumonectomy
• Splenectomy
• Thoracotomy
• Valve Replacement and Repair
• Video assisted Thoracoscopy
• Wound debridement, excision and muscle flaps

Open Heart Surgery

Also known as CABG, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft or “cabbage” and Bypass Surgery.

REASON FOR PROCEDURE

According to the American Heart Association this is one of the most common and effective procedures to manage blockage of blood to the heart. It improves the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart and relieves chest pain (angina). Also, it reduces the risk of a heart attack and improves the ability for physical activity.

WHAT THE PROCEDURE DOES

Treats blocked heart arteries by creating new passages for blood to flow to the heart. It works by taking arteries or veins from other parts of the body — called grafts — and uses them to reroute the blood around the clogged artery. A patient may undergo one, two, three or more bypass grafts, depending on how many coronary arteries are blocked. Click here to see an animation of a coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Often, blockages can be cleared in the heart catheterization lab so that bypass is not required. Click here to learn more about catheterization procedures.