Heart and vascular surgery

When you put your heart in the hands of our cardiovascular team, your care is led by board-certified physicians with extensive experience. Our integrated and coordinated approach to care gives you access to a wide range of treatment options and specialists. From lifesaving procedures to minimally invasive surgery, our cardiovascular surgeons can handle it all.

Our cardiac surgeons are trained to perform numerous types of heart surgery, including:

• Abdominal aortic and endovascular aneurysm repair — surgery that treats and repairs bulges in the walls of the abdominal aorta
• Cardiothoracic surgery — any procedure performed on organs in the chest, including the lungs
• Carotid artery surgery — a procedure that helps remove blockages in the carotid artery leading to the brain
• Coronary artery bypass (minimally invasive and off-pump) — surgery to bypass a blocked artery by grafting a healthy blood vessel and directing blood flow through it
• Heart valve repair and replacement— a procedure that makes repairs to a diseased valve or replaces it with a mechanical or tissue valve
• Peripheral artery bypass — surgery to reroute blood flow around a blocked artery in one or both legs

In some instances, minimally invasive surgery may be a viable option for you or your loved one. During minimally invasive surgery, your doctor will insert a catheter through a small incision to diagnose and treat cardiovascular diseases. This technique allows us to treat the problem without making a large incision, which means less time on the operating table and a quicker recovery.

We offer the following minimally invasive procedures:

• Cardiac ablation — a technique in which extreme heat, cold or targeted radiation destroys selected heart cells that create various arrhythmias, or, irregular rhythms
• Cardiac assist device implantation — pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators that monitor heart rhythm and correct irregular rhythms
• Cardiac catheterization — a procedure that involves inserting a catheter into a blood vessel and guiding it to the affected area, then taking X-rays to assess the heart and blood supply
• Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and interventional cardiology — procedures that quickly open blocked arteries using angioplasty, atherectomy or stenting

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)

We are proud to offer our patients TAVR surgery. This procedure is a minimally invasive alternative to open heart surgery that replaces damaged valves through a small catheter.

TAVR is beneficial for those who suffer from aortic stenosis, a common but serious valve problem in which the aortic valve opening narrows. This is dangerous because it restricts blood flow and affecting pressure in the heart.

Varicose veins — also called spider veins — occur when the veins become dilated and enlarged. These veins most often affect the legs and may worsen with prolonged sitting or standing. For some, varicose veins cause no discomfort, but others may experience unwanted symptoms that could lead to more serious issues.

Symptoms of varicose veins include:

• Aching pain
• Burning
• Darkening of the skin
• Easily tired legs
• Itching
• Leg heaviness
• Leg swelling
• Numbness in the legs
• Rash on the legs
• Skin ulcers

We offer a minimally invasive treatment option for varicose veins. Our vascular surgeons in Roanoke perform the procedure on an outpatient basis using ultrasound and a catheter to deliver heat into the vein wall. The heat effectively seals the vein closed and allows blood to flow through other healthy blood vessels. Patients who undergo this procedure are typically able to resume normal activities within one day.