Heart Surgery
As our patients place their trust in us at times when they’re most vulnerable, the John C. Lincoln Heath Network has responded by providing the latest surgical technologies. State-of-the-art cardiac surgical suites at both John C. Lincoln Hospitals put the most advanced technology at our heart surgeons’ fingertips. New cardiac surgical suites at John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital opened in April 2007. Construction is underway for additional cardiac surgical suites at our North Mountain hospital.
Open heart surgery may be necessary for a variety of reasons, including:
- Bypassing blocked arteries
- Fixing or replacing heart valves that are not functioning properly
- Correcting aneurysms in the blood vessels around the heart
On-Pump Open Heart Surgery
Our hospitals’ highly trained surgical teams perform hundreds of open heart surgeries every year. Many are done “on pump,” which means the patient is connected to a heart/lung machine that continues to pump blood through the patient’s body. The on-pump approach allows surgeons to operate on the patient’s heart while it is still.
Off-Pump Open Heart Surgery
For some patients at John C. Lincoln Hospitals, a newer approach called "beating heart" or “off-pump” surgery is an option. During off-pump surgery, a device called an Octopus holds still the part of the heart the surgeon is operating on, while the rest of the heart continues beating. Because a heart/lung machine is not required, patients often recover more quickly and experience fewer side effects.
Modified Maze Open Heart Surgery
Patients with multiple heart problems may undergo a Modified Maze. During this open heart surgery approach, an ablation is done to treat atrial fibrillation. (In general terms, an ablation is a procedure in which malfunctioning tissue—in this case, heart tissue—is removed, in an effort to restore proper heart function.) While the patient’s chest remains open, other heart problems, such as a bypass or valve repair, are performed so that the patient only has to undergo surgery once.
Recovery After Open Heart Surgery
Surgery suites are on the 2nd floor at John C. Lincoln Deer Valley and North Mountain hospitals. After open heart surgery, patients are taken directly to the CCU or CVICU. There, nurses trained specially in cardiac care are dedicated to helping patients begin the recovery process.
Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery
Cutting through a patient’s sternum (breast bone) used to be the only way surgeons could operate on the heart. Now, a new technique called the Mini-Maze is changing the way heart surgery is done on some patients with irregular heartbeats, also called atrial fibrillation.
John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital is the first hospital in the West Valley, and one of just a few in the entire Phoenix area, with the capability to perform Mini-Maze procedures.