Heart & Vascular Surgery

To resolve chest pain and other heart-related issues, Grady surgeons routinely perform:

• Coronary bypass graft (CABG) surgery, a procedure in which a surgeon uses a healthy blood vessel from another part of your body to bypass narrowed or blocked sections of a coronary artery.
• Valve repair or replacement surgery. Valve repairs can usually be done on congenital valve defects (defects you are born with) and on mitral valve defects. Valve replacements are typically done when the valve is severely damaged, typically the mitral or aortic valves on the left side of the heart. Replacements are also done to treat live-threatening valve diseases.
• Aortic aneurysm surgery. An aortic aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge in the aorta, the large artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and torso. Aortic aneurysms can dissect or rupture.

Cardiothoracic surgery involves procedures on the chest cavity (thorax) organs, including the heart, lungs, and esophagus. Grady’s Cardiothoracic Surgery team manages care both before cardiothoracic surgery and afterward.

Vascular surgery focuses on vascular conditions that cannot be repaired in other ways, which may include:

• Aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection. An aortic aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge in the aorta, the large artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and torso. Aortic aneurysms can dissect or rupture when the force of pumping blood splits the artery wall, allowing blood to leak.
• Chronic arterial insufficiency, a common condition affecting mainly older patients. It normally involves the lower limbs and leads to leg numbness or pain.
• Chronic venous insufficiency, which occurs when your leg veins don’t allow blood to flow back up to your heart. This can cause blood to collect (pool) in your legs.
• Peripheral vascular disease, a slow, progressive circulation disorder caused by narrowing, blockage, or spasms in a blood vessel.
• Diabetic foot ulceration, an open sore or wound that occurs in roughly one of seven patients with diabetes. It is commonly located on the bottom of the foot.
• Carotid artery disease, which occurs when fatty deposits (plaques) clog the blood vessels that deliver blood to your brain and head (carotid arteries). The blockage increases the risk of stroke.
• Venus stasis ulcers, wounds on the leg or ankle caused by abnormal or damaged veins. Abnormal veins can be hereditary. Veins can also be damaged by blood clots, injury, aging, and obesity.
• Renal artery stenosis, the narrowing of one or more arteries that carry blood to your kidneys (renal arteries), which can compromise the kidneys’ ability to filter waste.
• Mesenteric artery stenosis, the narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the intestines, which can result in pain, weight loss, nausea, diarrhea, or bleeding.