Cardiothoracic Conditions & Treatment

Why choose us?

The Lee Physician Group Cardiothoracic Surgery team is on the leading edge of technology and innovation in the treatment of complex cardiovascular and thoracic diseases. 

Patients who were once thought untreatable have found new hope. 

With the advancements in surgical technology, our skilled surgeons can perform intricate procedures through minimally invasive approaches, including robotic-assisted surgery and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), which shorten recovery time for our patients.

Having more options for cardiothoracic surgery procedures allows the patient to truly make an informed decision regarding his/her treatment.

As part of Lee Physician Group, we offer a comprehensive continuum of care to ensure you have access to the highest level of care to restore your quality of life.

Surgical procedures include:

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG)

When blood vessels to the heart are narrowed and block the flow of blood and oxygen, a patient may require coronary artery bypass grafting, or CABG. The surgery reroutes a vein from the leg, an artery from the forearm, or an artery that runs under the chest wall, bypassing the blockage to the heart.

Valve Surgery

Diseased heart valves can be repaired or replaced. Whenever possible, it is repaired. The mitral valve is most commonly repaired, the aortic valve is the most commonly replaced valve. 

Minimally invasive heart valve surgery enables a surgeon to replace or repair a valve using smaller incisions on the side of the chest. This results in less bleeding, lower wound complication rates, less pain, shorter hospital stay, and allows the patient to return to their normal activities in much less time.

The valve operation is the same as when performed through the traditional sternotomy approach but just through a different incision.

Surgical Solutions for Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial ablation is a heart surgery performed in isolation or at the same time as a coronary artery bypass grafting or valve surgery. Surgeons use an energy source to neutralize electrical pathways in the heart that trigger the atrial fibrillation.

Lung Cancer Surgery

Lobectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the tumor and the section of the lung in which the tumor is located, is the most common surgical procedure performed for lung cancer. During the procedure additional lymph nodes will be removed to determine whether or not the disease has spread.

A less invasive surgical approach, called video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery or VATS, is appropriate for some patients. It enables the surgeon to remove the section of the lung where the tumor is located through a smaller incision, providing patients with less pain, fewer complications and faster recovery.

Specialized care for complex cases

In addition to coronary bypass surgery (CABG), our surgeons specialize in highly complex and innovative procedures to correct valvular heart disease, aortic surgery, transcatheter valve procedures (TAVR), and mechanical assistance/cardiac transplant for heart failure.

In fact, our surgeons undertake some of the most complex and challenging cases.

We offer unparalleled expertise in a range of surgical specialties:

• Aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection
• Arrhythmia/Atrial fibrillation
• Cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure
• Coronary artery disease
• Valvular heart disease
• Endocarditis
• Pericardial disease
• Congenital heart disease
• Cardiac surgery

Cardiac surgeries are those performed on the heart and its circulatory system including the major arteries and veins. 

Cardiovascular procedures performed by cardiothoracic surgeons at Lee Health include:

• MAZE Procedure
• Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG or bypass surgery)
• Atrial septal defect repair
• Valve-Saving aortic root replacement (David Procedure)
• Ventricular septal defect repair
• Ascending aorta surgery
• Left Ventricular assistdevice (LVAD)
• Transaortic valve replacement (TAVR)
• Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR)
• Aortic valve repair or replacement
• Right anterior thoracic aortic valve repair or replacement
• Tricuspid valve repair or replacement
• Mitral valve repair or replacement
• Minimally invasive valve surgery
• daVinci robotic heart surgery
• Redo heart surgery
• Thoracic surgery

Thoracic surgeries are those performed on the heart, lungs, esophagus and other organs in the chest. Thoracic surgery also includes cardiothoracic surgical procedures. 

Thoracic surgical procedures performed by thoracic and cardiothoracic surgeons at Lee Health include:

• Video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS)
• Lobectomy
• Pneumonectomy
• Cardiac tumor removal
• Mediastinal tumor removal
• Thrombectomy
• Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS)
• Lung pleurodesis
• Lung decortication
• Bleb resection
• Pericardial window
• Mediastinoscopy