When you have a heart condition or cardiac disease that requires surgery, you need a team of experts to handle your care and give you the best possible outcome. Heart and vascular surgeons at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, offer the latest in cardiac surgery for a wide range of heart conditions, close to home.

Why choose Ohio State for heart surgery?

Our team of skilled cardiac surgeons (sometimes referred to as cardiothoracic surgeons) trained at some of the most highly regarded institutions around the world and continue to bring the most advanced techniques and skills to the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. Each of our cardiovascular surgeons performs a variety of procedures and specializes in unique areas, allowing us to serve the full spectrum of heart surgery needs for our patients.

We offer treatments from the simplest procedures to the most complex, including open-heart surgeries, heart and lung transplants, placement of heart pumps and even total artificial heart procedures. Because we’re an academic health center, our surgeons are leading or participating in research and clinical trials to develop and test new lifesaving surgical options.

We guide you through a personalized journey to deliver the right surgical treatment — whether it’s a traditional heart surgery or a minimally invasive surgery — that will deliver the best outcome for you.

Cardiovascular conditions we may treat with surgery

We treat the full range of heart conditions, including:

• Angina is chest pain associated with decreased blood flow to the heart.
• Aortic dissection occurs due to a tear in the inner layer of the body's main artery (aorta).
• Arm artery disease, a type of peripheral artery disease, may be treated with surgery depending on the underlying cause and blockage.
• Cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart muscle is too weak to effectively pump blood. Depending on the type of cardiomyopathy, a heart transplant may be necessary.
• Endocarditis is a condition that occurs when the inner lining of the heart becomes infected. The heart team at Ohio State treats this condition with a combination of antibiotic medications or heart valve surgery.
• Heart failure may be treated through congestive heart failure surgery if less-invasive solutions fail to strengthen the heart to effectively pump enough oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.
• Pericardial effusion is a condition that occurs due to a buildup of fluid in the sac that surrounds the heart. Cardiologists at Ohio State are experienced in this heart condition and its treatments, which may include a combination of medications and heart surgery.
• Peripheral aneurysms are likely to require surgical repair because of the risk of a sudden blockage or dislodged cloth obstructing blood flow.
• Structural heart disease occurs when something is wrong with your heart valves, often since birth. There are multiple surgical treatment options depending on the severity of your condition.

Heart surgeries offered at Ohio State

Bypass procedures

When a vein is no longer allowing blood to flow through, your cardiologist may recommend that you undergo a bypass procedure to reroute the flow of blood. Our surgeons offer coronary artery bypass, mesenteric artery bypass and other types of surgical bypass to treat various heart conditions.

Robotic and minimally invasive procedures

Robotic heart surgery and minimally invasive heart and vascular surgery involve a surgeon making one or more small incisions using specially designed instruments. It doesn't require cutting open the chest and dividing the breastbone, as does traditional heart surgery. Because it’s less invasive, this surgery offers many benefits including quicker recovery, less pain after surgery and quicker return home.

Heart transplant

Ohio State Heart and Vascular Center is home to central Ohio’s only adult heart transplant program, which has provided more than 500 lifesaving heart transplants.

In addition to heart transplantation, the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center has a robust program specializing in the implantation and management of ventricular assist devices (VAD) as a bridge to heart transplant. Ohio State cardiac surgeons are also skilled at using minimally invasive procedures and robotic surgery techniques for some procedures, which result in less trauma and faster recovery.

Open-heart surgeries

Our surgeons are also skilled in various types of open-heart surgeries, which require larger cuts in the chest and typically treat more complex or emergency conditions. One type of open procedure we perform is ventricular restoration surgery, in which the surgeon restores the heart to a more normal shape and size following a heart attack. Our cardiac surgeons are also experienced in performing septal myectomy, which they use to treat cardiomyopathy (a thickened heart muscle) by removing excess muscle from around the heart.