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Heart surgery that's a beat ahead.

Our team treats patients in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area with compassion and expertise.

Our cardiac surgery program through MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute is home to some of the best heart surgeons and structural heart specialists in the mid-Atlantic region. Here, you’ll find a full team of dedicated experts focused on you.

We have one of the highest volume cardiac surgery centers in the country. This translates into extensive experience in techniques that treat all types of heart conditions. So, you can rest assured we understand your unique diagnosis and are able to bring you the least invasive surgical option that also offers the best long-term results.

Cardiac surgeries are performed at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, MD, and at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.

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How we can help you.

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Team of expert heart surgeons.

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Frequently asked questions.

To request an appointment, call,

888-352-3147

or click now.

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Conditions treated with cardiac surgery

  • Aortic disease

    The aorta is a long vessel that supplies blood to almost all the major organs in the body through the smaller arteries that branch out from it. Conditions we treat include:

    • Aortic aneurysm, a bulge in the wall of the aorta
    • Aortic dissection, a tear in the lining of the aorta
    • Aortic ulcers
    • Coarctation, a narrowing of the aorta
    • Marfan syndrome
  • Coronary artery disease

    The most common type of heart disease in the United States, coronary artery disease is often caused by atherosclerosis, a condition in which the arteries become narrow because of the buildup of plaque. A complete blockage can result in a heart attack or stroke.

  • Heart valve disease

    Heart valve disease occurs when at least one of your heart’s valves doesn’t open or close properly, disrupting blood flow. Heart valve disease can be caused by the narrowing of the valve (stenosis) or a leak in the valve which causes the blood to flow backward (regurgitation). The four main types of the disease are:

    • Aortic valve disease
    • Mitral valve disease
    • Pulmonary valve disease
    • Tricuspid valve disease
  • Heart failure

    Heart failure occurs when your heart can’t pump enough blood for your body. Although it is a lifelong condition, treatment for heart failure can manage the symptoms and may allow your heart to gain strength. There are three main types of heart failure:

    • Congestive heart failure, in which blood backs up and causes congestion in the body’s tissues. This most often results in swelling in the legs, but it also can interfere with lung and kidney function.
    • Left-sided heart failure, in which the heart does not have enough force to pump blood to the rest of the body.
    • Right-sided heart failure, in which the heart can’t effectively accept blood from the body and deliver it to the lungs.
  • Arrhythmia (heart rhythm disorders)

    An arrhythmia is an abnormal or irregular heartbeat caused by a disturbance in the electrical impulses that coordinate your heart rate. This can cause your heart to beat too fast, too slow, or irregularly. When the heart doesn’t beat properly, it can’t effectively pump blood to your body.

    An arrhythmia is an abnormal or irregular heartbeat caused by a disturbance in the electrical impulses that coordinate your heart rate. This can cause your heart to beat too fast, too slow, or irregularly. When the heart doesn’t beat properly, it can’t effectively pump blood to your body.

  • Congenital heart defects

    Congenital heart diseases are the most common type of birth defect, affecting eight out of every 1,000 newborns. One in 50 adults has a congenital heart defect. Congenital heart diseases can affect the walls of the heart, the valves inside the heart, and the arteries and veins that carry blood to the heart or body. Many congenital heart defects are diagnosed before or shortly after birth, but some may not cause symptoms for years.

Cardiac procedures available at MedStar Health

  • Aortic surgery

    Aortic surgery describes a number of procedures to treat conditions that affect the aorta. The aorta is the body’s largest blood vessel, and it carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart as it’s pumped to the rest of your body. Conditions that affect the aorta can be very serious and even life-threatening without expert surgical care.

    Our Complex Aortic Center brings together heart surgeons and vascular surgeons to work as a team on the challenging conditions that affect the aorta, such as aortic aneurysms and aortic dissection. We’re able to perform complex surgeries that other centers can’t, including minimally invasive options. And because of our participation in clinical trials and research, our patients often have access to treatment options before they’re available in other locations.

    Some of the many aortic surgical procedures our doctors offer include:

    • Abdominal aortic aneurysm treatments
    • Aortic dissection treatment
    • Aortic root surgery
    • Fenestrated aortic aneurysm repair
    • Ascending aorta
    • Aortic arch
    • Descending thoracic aorta
    • Thoracoabdominal aorta
    • Infrarenal aorta
  • Complex coronary artery bypass graft

    Your doctor may recommend this surgery if narrowing or blockages in one or more of your coronary arteries (coronary artery disease) reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart. This surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG, pronounced “cabbage”), restores normal blood flow by using a healthy blood vessel taken from your leg, arm, or chest to create a detour around the problem area. It’s not uncommon to bypass two, three, or more coronary arteries during surgery. You may have heard this called double or triple bypass. This surgery is one of the most common heart surgeries our cardiac surgeons perform.

    We perform nearly half of these procedures as off-pump bypass surgery, also known as beating-heart bypass. With this method, we use special tools to stabilize a portion of the heart to allow it to keep beating while we bypass the blocked artery. Traditionally, it is performed with the assistance of a cardiopulmonary bypass machine, which temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs. This is known as on-pump surgery. Patients who have off-pump bypass surgery recover faster and have reduced risk for complications such as stroke, the need for blood transfusions, and kidney and lung problems.

  • Heart valve surgery

    Heart valve surgery encompasses a group of procedures to treat heart valve disease. Along with traditional open surgical techniques to repair or replace the mitral valve, tricuspid valve, pulmonary valve, and aortic valve, we offer minimally invasive replacement methods.

    Our heart surgeons collaborate with the structural heart interventional cardiologists to discuss and analyze all patients’ conditions based on the severity of their disease, age, and overall health to determine the best treatment approach for their unique condition.

    Minimally invasive treatment options

    • Transcatheter valve and congenital heart defect procedures
      Our structural heart interventional cardiologists perform valve replacements by inserting a catheter through a small incision (most commonly in the leg), threading the device through the vessel to the heart, and then implanting a new valve within the diseased valve. These procedures include:
      • Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
      • Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR)
      • MitraClip™
      • TriClip™ Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Repair
      • Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve
      • Congenital Heart Defects – PFO, ASD, and VSD occluders
    • Robotic surgery
      MedStar Washington Hospital Center is one of the few sites in the mid-Atlantic region to offer robotic cardiac surgery. This minimally invasive approach combines the agility of robotic instruments with a high-definition 3D camera, allowing surgeons to perform heart procedures through tiny incisions. Watch our video to learn more now.
  • Heart failure surgery

    We offer the latest surgical options for late-stage heart failure where the heart is no longer able to pump enough blood to support the body’s vital organs.

    Heart transplant

    Heart transplantation allows us to replace your failing heart with a healthier heart from a donor. Your doctor may recommend a heart transplant if other heart failure treatments have been unsuccessful. We perform a thorough medical and psychosocial evaluation, including blood tests and imaging studies, to make sure you will benefit from a heart transplant. You will meet with several members of the heart transplant team, including the coordinator, surgeons, cardiologists, social workers, and financial counselors.

    If heart transplantation is a good option for you, we’ll place your name on the national waiting list for a suitable donor heart. The wait time to receive a heart can be lengthy, and you may be admitted to the hospital while you wait for a heart. Our team of coordinators will work with you and your family to prepare and support you through the transplantation process and recovery.

    Mechanical circulatory support

    If your heart is failing or you have recently undergone heart surgery, your heart may need time to rest or recover. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, pumps your blood through a machine so your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. We also may recommend ECMO to prepare your heart for an assist device, such as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

    People with end-stage heart failure may need mechanical assistance for the heart to do its job. In 1988, we became one of the first centers in the world to implant a ventricular assist device. Our expert surgeons can implant a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that helps circulate the blood with a small pump. The surgeon will attach the LVAD to your heart’s bottom left chamber and this pump will continuously move oxygen-rich blood from the left ventricle into the aorta, which delivers blood to the rest of your organs. The pump will be connected to an external controller with a wire under your skin. The controller will alert you when the batteries need to be changed or if your device requires maintenance. You can wear the controller in a pack around your waist.

    Our team includes experienced LVAD coordinators, along with dedicated pharmacists, physical therapists, nutritionists, and other advanced heart failure specialists.

  • Heart rhythm surgery

    We were the first—and remain the most experienced—health system in the region to offer Hybrid AF™ Convergent Therapy for treatment of longstanding, persistent atrial fibrillation (AFib). A new FDA label expands this approach to first-line therapy for patients who otherwise face uncertain futures dealing with AFib. Our electrophysiologists and cardiac surgeons work together to perform this complex procedure. A cardiac surgeon will make a small incision in the chest and place a scope beneath the breastbone, allowing the team to see the heart during the procedure. The electrophysiologist will insert an ablation device to send a mild, painless burst of heat or cold to create a pattern of scar tissue on the epicardium, the protective outer layer of the heart. Once the epicardial ablation is completed, the incision will be closed. The electrophysiologist will then perform a traditional catheter ablation, in which they will thread an ablation catheter through a blood vessel in the arm or groin to the heart to scar the endocardium, or inside layer of the heart. You’ll likely need to stay in the hospital for two to three days after the procedure for recovery and monitoring.

  • Leading-edge breakthroughs & innovations

    We’re dedicated to staying on the leading edge of care. We take part in multiple cardiac clinical trials. You may have the option to participate in pioneering procedures and emerging treatments not available anywhere else.

Robotic mitral valve repair patient story: Michael P.

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MedStar Health patient Michael P. has mitral valve prolapse and mitral valve regurgitation. After researching robotic-assisted mitral valve repair and Dr. Kawano and his team, he wanted to have his mitral valve repaired robotically, and he was a good candidate for this surgery. Robotic-assisted surgery is far less invasive than the conventional sternotomy approach. Robotic surgery is associated with reduced complications, shorter hospital stay, quicker recovery and minimal incisions. He is now back to his normal activities and feeling great.

Meet our heart surgeons

Through a dedicated multidisciplinary approach, our cardiac surgeons work collaboratively with a team of experts, including cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, critical care physicians, cardiac imaging specialists, nurses, and other clinicians.

  • Washington, D.C., region

    Ammar S. Bafi, MD

    Keki Balsara, MD

    Jeffrey E. Cohen, MD

    Yuji Kawano, MD

    Thomas MacGillivray, MD

    Christian Charles Shults, MD

  • Baltimore region

    Brian Bethea, MD

    John Conte, MD

    Rachel Harrison, MD

"Dr. Shults saved my father's life after another doctor refused to operate on him because of the extreme risk involved. Dr. Shults is a rockstar in my eyes!"
- Stacey S.

Meet our structural heart interventional cardiologists

Learn more about the MedStar Health Structural Heart program and get to know our structural heart interventional cardiologists here.

To request an appointment, call,

888-352-3147

or click now.

Request an Appointment

Frequently asked questions about heart surgery

  • What insurance do you accept?

    MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. Check with your provider to confirm your individual coverage.

  • What can I expect the day of surgery?

    Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your heart operation. Following your procedure, your surgical team will go over any dietary restrictions, if necessary.

  • How long is surgical recovery?

    Recovery time is dependent on your specific surgery. It takes about six weeks to recover from most surgeries.

  • When do my follow up appointments start following surgery?

    Your first follow-up appointment will be scheduled before you leave the hospital. Your cardiac surgeon will send a report about your surgery and hospital stay to your cardiologist. Once you return home, it is important that you contact your cardiologist promptly to schedule an appointment, usually six to eight weeks after your surgery, so he or she can determine how well your healing is progressing. At this appointment, your doctor will give you instructions on any changes to your medications and let you know when you can return to work and begin driving again. They will also schedule regular follow-up visits with you.

  • Will I need to consider any lifestyle changes before or after surgery?

    It is especially important to manage your cardiovascular risk factors after heart surgery, such as lowering high cholesterol, lowering high blood pressure, increasing physical activity, quiting smoking, and maintaining a healthy diet. Your physician can provide a risk factor evaluation and schedule follow-up visits to help reduce the progression of heart disease and the risk of future cardiac events.

Facebook Live: Heart Valve Disease Day 2024

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In case you missed our Facebook Live on heart valve disease, watch this important conversation below with cardiac surgeon Dr. Rachel Harrison and interventional cardiologists Dr. Ron Waksman and Dr. John Wang.

MedStar Health Cardiac Surgery Hospital locations

MedStar Union Memorial Hospital

201 E University Pkwy.
Baltimore, MD 21218

MedStar Washington Hospital Center

110 Irving St., NW.
Washington, DC 20010

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We’re proud to be recognized by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the gold standard of cardiothoracic surgery clinical outcomes registries, for achieving nationally recognized quality performance measures. Both MedStar Washington Hospital Center and MedStar Union Memorial Hospital have received the top rating available (3 stars).

We are honored to be named a top hospital for Cardiology, Heart and Vascular Surgery by U.S. News and World report. This distinction was awarded to MedStar Washington Hospital Center.