Cardiac or Heart Surgery is the core of any Cardiothoracic surgical practice. We perform hundreds of traditional Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) operations and Heart Valve Replacements every year. Our CABG and Heart Valve results are excellent, but many patients will only benefit from advanced surgical techniques or minimally invasive heart surgery. For this reason we have expanded our services to include complex Mitral Valve Repair, Aortic Valve Repair, Aortic Root Remodeling and Ventricular Remodeling.
Many patients have debilitating heart arrythmias, including Atrial Fibrillation, and for years have had to suffer with medical therapy that fails to restore normal heart rhythm. We offer the MAZE procedure to cure Atrial Fibrillation in patients who also need Coronary Bypass (CABG) or Valve Repair. Recently, we have offered minimally invasive heart surgery treatment for patients with Atrial Fibrillation using a Thoracoscopic Maze Procedure approach that avoids major chest incisions. |
Thoracic Surgery including Lung Surgery is the non-cardiac portion of our specialty. Most commonly, patients whom we treat have problems with their lungs or esophagus (swallowing tube). We perform many operations through standard chest incisions for lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and complications of pneumonia. Fortunately, technology allows us to perform a growing number of procedures through small telescopic portals in the chest (Thoracoscopy). Drainage of fluid on the lung (pleural effusion), lung biopsies, lung blister removal for pneumothorax (collapsed lung), and removal of the thymus gland for Myasthenia Gravis (a debilitating nerve disease) are all operations that we now commonly perform through the thoracoscope.
Recently, in conjunction with interventional radiologists we offer a new treatment for inoperable lung cancer called RF Lung Ablation. A small catheter is placed directly into the cancerous tumor through the chest wall using XRAY guidance (CT Scan). An electric current is run through the catheter to burn and shrink the tumor. This technique does not work as well as surgery, but it can greatly help patients who would not survive open chest surgery. |
Vascular Surgery is a specialty that treats problems in the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to all the organs in the body. Some surgeons only treat vascular problems that affect the blood vessels in the chest (thoracic aorta, carotid artery, subclavian artery). Others only treat blood vessel problems that arise in the abdomen and legs (abdominal aorta, femoral arteries). We feel that our patients will benefit if we can treat vascular disease that arises anywhere in their body. Our surgeons offer Vascular Surgery procedures to treat disease from the aortic root (where blood leaves the heart and enters the blood vessels) all the way through the vascular tree to the small arteries in the foot.
Recent Vascular Surgery technology has permitted some vascular conditions to be treated with minimally invasive techniques that use catheters inside the blood vessels to correct the problem. We have partnered with physicians in other specialties who have advanced skills with catheters in blood vessels to offer these new techniques to our patients. The most common example of this technology is the Endoluminal Graft (ELG) or Stent Grafts used to treat Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) with only two small incisions in the groin instead of a large abdominal incision. We also offer remote endarterectomy to open blockages in the femoral (thigh) artery and will soon be offering endovascular treatment or Stent Grafts for Thoracic (chest) Aortic Aneurysms. All of these technologies use catheters in blood vessels to repair the problem without major incisions in the chest, abdomen, or leg.
Many patients who have vascular disease have leg pain as their dominant symptom. Although many of these patients will have blockages in the arteries that cause the pain, even more will have vein problems (Varicose Veins) as a cause for their symptoms. For years the only treatment for Varicose Veins was to offer these patients compression stockings with leg elevation or painful vein stripping. In the last five years technology for Varicose Veins and Venous Insufficiency has allowed these problems to be treated much more effectively using catheters inside the vein under ultrasound guidance. The procedures now cause minimal pain and are offered in the outpatient setting.
In order to help our patients with vein disease, we have created Desert Vein Care. Through this division of Desert Cardiothoracic Surgeons we offer the entire spectrum of vein care from Saphenous Vein Ablation with the radiofrequency catheter for Varicose Veins and Venous Insufficiency to Sclerotherapy for spider veins. Again, we feel that patients benefit when we can treat the entire spectrum of their vascular disease.
Feel free to contact us at: (480) 844-2020 for further information or to schedule an appointment with one of our surgeons. |
