Areas of Expertise

Beating Heart Coronary Artery Surgery
Our physicians are among the world's leaders in coronary artery surgery without the use of a heart/lung machine. Perfected by our surgeons, this technique is the complete revascularization of the heart without a heart/lung machine. As a result, considerable risks and complications are decreased and the hospital stay is shortened. Patients can return to an active lifestyle soon after surgery. Depending on the needs of the patient, a variety of approaches can be considered, such as left thoracotomy, subxiphoid approach, and others. Beating heart coronary artery surgery is particularly suitable for redo operations, high risk patients, the elderly and patients with other systemic diseases.

Beating Heart Valve Surgery
This novel approach for valvular surgery is a major advance and is used extensively at our Medical Center. During beating heart valve surgery, the heart beats while the valve is being replaced, thereby eliminating the risk of ischemia of the heart. When combined valve and coronary artery bypasses are needed, the bypasses are done off pump, followed by the valve replacement. This is beneficial to the patient because it decreases the amount of time on the heart/lung machine. Warm heart surgery, a technique in which the patient and the heart are not cooled, was initially developed by a faculty member, Dr. Tomas Salerno.

Bloodless Surgery
Most cardiothoracic procedures can be performed safely with little or no blood transfusions.

Atrial Fibrillation Surgery
Patients who develop atrial fibrillation must take long-term anticoagulants. Our surgeons are developing a variety of procedures that allow the patient to return to sinus rhythm. Some of these can be done without a heart/lung machine. This is of great importance for patients on long-term anticoagulants or those in atrial fibrillation who are scheduled to have concomitant valve surgery.

Valve Surgery
The Cardiothoracic surgeons perform a variety of innovative procedures on valves, including repair, annuloplasty, replacement, complex reconstructions, homografts, autografts and others. These can be performed via the minimally invasive approach, minimizing pain and shortening the recovery period. Mitral valve reconstructions are routinely performed with excellent outcomes.

Major Aortic Surgery
All cardiothoracic surgeons perform all types of complex aortic procedures, such as repair of aortic dissection, aneurysms of the ascending and descending aorta, traumatic injuries and others.

Cardiomyopathy
Dr. Salerno was the cardiothoracic surgeon who introduced the Batista Operation to North America. Our team uses this as well as other procedures for end-stage heart disease with operations ranging from remodeling to replacement, included are the Batista operation, the D'Orr operation, left ventricular aneurysm repair, and others. This is a very large program that also includes heart and lung transplantation.

Assist Devices
Cardiothoracic surgeons are able to insert a variety of different devices, and are involved in clinical trials that implant assist devices instead of heart transplantation. The ultimate goal of the program is the total replacement of the heart with assist devices, or an artificial heart because there will never be enough heart donors for everyone who needs a heart transplant.

Thoracic Surgery
Cardiothoracic surgeons are experts in the modern treatment of a variety of diseases of the lung, such as cancer of the lung, and other diseases of the chest.

Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Pediatric cardiac surgeons at the Children's Heart Center perform the entire spectrum of cardiac surgical procedures in neonates, infants, children, and adults with congenital heart defects, including cardiac transplantation.

Additional information regarding the Children's Heart Center can be found at surgery.med.miami.edu/childrens