University of Michigan a Top-Ranked Heart Surgery Program
The idea of having surgery on your heart may be frightening and stressful, but you can find some peace of mind knowing U.S. News and World Report's Best Hospitals list ranks the heart and heart surgery programs at the University of Michigan as one of the best among Michigan hospitals. Our surgeons perform more than 2,000 heart operations annually, and see approximately 3,500 outpatients each year. Our highly trained physicians, nurses, dietitians and other caregivers work as a team to provide the expertise and resources required to make your surgery and hospital stay both comfortable and successful.
Clinical Care Coordinators Ease Stress
Having someone to guide you from evaluation to post-op and beyond not only makes it easier to understand the process of cardiac surgery, but also eases your stress, knowing there is a friendly, familiar face you can count on. That person is our Clinical Care Coordinator. This nurse helps you navigate the system, get scheduled for tests, provides education about the process and makes sure you get to all the right places at the right time. You will only have one Clinical Care Coordinator for the entire process. Your Coordinator will also be your contact once you are discharged and will call you at home to make sure you are feeling well and your medications are correct.
Cutting-Edge Therapies. Compassionate Care.
The physicians, health care providers and researchers in the Cardiac Surgery Department work together every day to provide the best care and treatments possible for cardiac disease. We offer the newest techniques in surgical procedures including:
- Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) – Using a vein to bypass a blockage. With endoscopic vein harvesting, the surgeon makes small incisions in the leg then uses a camera to remove the vein safely, rather than making a long incision down the leg to do the grafting. This minimally invasive surgery means faster recovery time with less pain and fewer infections.
- Mitral valve replacement surgery – The old way to do a mitral valve replacement was using a mechanical valve. At the Cardiovascular Center, we eliminate the need to remove the valve by using a mitral valve ring, which cinches the valve, returning it to the right shape to help your heart work better. This kind of minimally invasive surgery allows you to get back to living your life faster.
The surgery and intensive care level of the Cardiovascular Center offers the latest equipment for our patients, including an Eclipse YAG Laser System for treatment for refractory angina. Also, one of our endovascular rooms has a 64-slice CT scanner, so doctors can make a high-resolution image of the heart or blood vessels right in the procedure room — saving time in urgent situations such as ruptured aneurysms. This scanner complements several CT machines, MRI machines, PET scanners, and other tools used for advanced diagnostics and interventional procedures.
Patient Resources
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