Heart Surgery

When you need heart surgery, you want to have the best possible care, including technical expertise and a compassionate, friendly environment, preferably close to home. You want the latest equipment and techniques available. Most importantly, you want a coordinated system of care to minimize complications.

The University of Kansas Health System offers everything from minimally invasive heart surgery to heart transplant procedures. Our skilled surgeons work with the most modern technology and treat the most complex heart surgery cases in Kansas City.

Heart surgery is 1 treatment option for people living with heart disease. Heart surgery can refer to many different types of heart procedures, depending on your particular condition.

Some types of heart surgery use minimally invasive techniques to speed healing. These innovative treatments result in less scarring, reduced exposure to anesthetic and a quicker recovery. They are excellent options for patients who are not candidates for open-heart surgery due to health or age.

The University of Kansas Health System is known for innovation in several key areas of heart surgery:

• Endovascular (minimally invasive) treatment of blood vessel aneurysms and traumatic injuries
• Minimally invasive heart valve replacement, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
• Robotic procedures

Heart surgery is commonly recommended as a treatment for many different types of heart disease. Specifically, those who may need heart surgery include those who have or have experienced:

• Aortic aneurysms
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart rhythm disorders
• Heart valve disorders
• Stroke
• Structural heart issues

In addition to heart surgery, our cardiothoracic surgeons perform complex surgery for many other conditions affecting the heart, such as lung cancer, chest tumors, esophageal cancer and more.

Heart surgery works by repairing or restoring the heart so it can function properly. The type of heart surgery you have will depend on your diagnosis. Some of the procedures and therapies available are:

When performed successfully, heart surgery greatly increases the survival rate for people living with heart disease. In some cases, it may also lower your risk for a future heart attack or stroke and prevent long-term damage to the heart.

All surgery comes with some degree of risk, including heart surgery. Your doctor will talk about the risks of your specific procedure before your operation.

Prior to your procedure, your care team will help you prepare for your heart surgery. They'll help you understand your condition and answer any questions about your hospital stay and recovery.

Your surgery will take place in a hospital setting. Our state-of-the-art operating suites include hybrid rooms. These rooms, which we offer in Kansas City and Olathe, serve as advanced imaging suites and operating rooms. They allow us to enhance patient safety and procedure precision and apply the latest, most advanced techniques that require the skills of multiple doctors from different specialties. In these suites, we can perform high-risk operations without having to move patients from one area to another. The suites also feature technology that exposes patients to less radiation, making procedures more cost-effective.

After your heart surgery, we encourage you to participate in cardiac rehabilitation. This medically supervised program incorporates exercise with education about heart-healthy living and emotional support for stress management.