
A cardiothoracic surgeon is a physician specializing in surgical procedures of the organs of the chest, primarily the heart, lungs, and esophagus, and the bony structures and tissues of the chest cavity. These doctors may also be called cardiac surgeons, cardiovascular surgeons, general thoracic surgeons, and congenital heart surgeons. Coronary artery disease is the most common disease treated by cardiothoracic surgeons, but they also treat lung cancer and diseases of the esophagus and chest wall.
Our cardiothoracic surgeons at Butler Health System also work in tandem with expert cardiologists to evaluate complex advanced valvular heart disease at our Valve Clinic.
Cardiothoracic surgery is necessary to treat numerous conditions. Our cardiothoracic surgeons use a variety of procedures to achieve optimal results, including open-chest operations, minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures, and robotic surgery.
This operation is designed to bypass blockages that have developed in the arteries on your heart. This is intended to improve blood flow to your entire heart at rest as well as with exercise. The grafted blood vessel can come from a number of places in your body, most often an artery from under your breastbone or vein from your leg.
Valve surgery is performed to repair or replace damaged valves in your heart. This is needed when valves become severely diseased, either leaking (insufficiency/regurgitation) or restricted (stenosis). If valve replacement is necessary, this can be done with either a mechanical or tissue valve. This decision will be made after a discussion with their surgeon.
This procedure is less invasive than open-heart surgery and allows a new valve to be inserted within the existing/diseased heart valve. The most common TAVR approach is to introduce the new valve through an artery in the groin.
An ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm is a bulging of the aorta that is located at the aorta as it comes out of the heart. To repair an aneurysm in this location requires open surgery (an incision in the middle of your chest and going through your breastbone) to replace your aorta with a graft.
Often aneurysms (abdominal and descending thoracic) are able to be repaired without open surgery. When endovascular repair is appropriate, it can be done via the arteries in your groin and often require no incisions. This allows for a much quicker recovery than traditional surgery. When deciding whether to recommend repair (and what approach is appropriate), your surgeon will review your testing and take into consideration the location & size of your aneurysm, how fast it has grown, and your overall health.
When blockages develop in the arteries to our legs or arms and cause pain that interferes with your daily activities, there are numerous procedures to address the condition surgically. To restore blood flow to the affected area, a bypass or an endarterectomy can be performed. A bypass is when a graft (plastic tube or a vein taken from your leg) reroutes blood flow around the blockage. An endarterectomy is when the plaque buildup is removed from a specific artery. After interviewing, examining, and reviewing, your testing your surgeon will determine what the appropriate treatment is for you.
Carotid endarterectomy is surgery that removes plaque buildup from inside a carotid artery in your neck. This surgery is done to restore normal blood flow to the brain to prevent a stroke.
Procedures can be done for treatment of many lung and chest-related diseases. Sometimes procedures require open surgical techniques, and other times procedures can be done with a minimally invasive procedure known as a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). The decision of whether the surgeon makes open or minimally invasive surgery after interviewing, examining, and reviewing your testing. These procedures can treat and/or diagnose lung nodules, mediastinal lymphadenopathy, interstitial lung disease, and pleural effusions.
Surgeries can be done that range from biopsy and staging to definitive treatment (resection). Your surgeon will decide the most appropriate approach for you and your treatment after interviewing, examining, and reviewing your testing.
The Clarion Hospital Vaccine Clinic is administering COVID-19 Pfizer vaccines in the Board Room at Clarion Hospital, One Hospital Drive, Clarion, PA. ...
Continue ReadingCURRENT 2022 Hours The Butler Memorial Hospital Outpatient COVID-19 Testing Site Location: Monday - Friday: 8am - 12pm. 304 Delwood Road, Butler, PA ...
Continue ReadingThe BHS Vaccine Clinic is administering COVID-19 Pfizer Vaccine at the BHS Crossroads Campus only , 127 Oneida Valley Road (1 st floor), Butler, PA. ...
Continue ReadingButler, PA, May 10, 2022 – Butler Memorial Hospital received an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for spring 2022. This national distinction ...
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Continue ReadingClarion, PA – Clarion Hospital contributed $52,258,098 to the region’s economy and supported 369 local jobs during the 2020 fiscal year, according to ...
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