Video Cardiac Surgery Program Published: February 13, 2017 Play Pause Volume Quality 236P Fullscreen Captions Transcript Chapters Slides Cardiac Surgery Program Overview Learn more about cardiac surgery at John Muir Health. [MUSIC PLAYING] MURALI DHARAN: John Muir Health has a long and distinguished reputation for providing extraordinary cardiovascular care. We offer some of the most advanced surgical techniques available in practice today, such as minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting, complex mitral valve repairs, aortic surgery, including endovascular stent grafts. Surgical procedures to treat atrial fibrillation, and mechanical assist devices for the failing heart. Our cardiac surgery program is one of the busiest and most comprehensive programs in the Bay Area. ANNA HANSON: I'm very proud of the cardiac surgery program. I was an intensive care unit nurse and taking care of cardiac surgery patients for 20 years before I took this position. And I have a lot of knowledge about each step of the cardiac surgery program, and have worked with, worked and strived to make it world class program. RAMESH VEERAGANDHAM: Heart surgery is a great example of teamwork. In addition to having the best qualified surgeons, we have dedicated nursing staff, perfusionists, physician assistants and cardiac anesthesiologists who are certified in transesophageal echocardiography. At John Muir Health, we strictly follow evidence-based medicine in the care of our heart surgery patients. As a participating member in the national database for cardiac surgery, we track our results continuously and compare them to the top programs in the country. This enables us to deliver exceptional care and be one of the best heart surgery programs in the nation. JATINDER DHILLON: It's one of the oldest programs here. It's been here, I believe, for 30 years now. And we have a great deal of experience as a result of that. We're very proud of our good outcomes here. We're part of the national database of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and when compared to everybody else in the country, we're doing very well. ANDREAS KAMLOT: We have established a minimal invasive heart surgery program. We are able now to do operations which were done through the breast bone in the past, now through mini incisions just at the side of the breast bone in order to provide a faster recovery and a less painful operation. Every patient, from the moment walking through the door until the day of discharge, will be a name rather than a number or an operation. Everybody on the team from the nurses to the coordinates to the surgeon, knows the patient by name and there's a continuity of care, which I have never experienced at any other place before. TANVEER KHAN: To enable us to treat high risk patients, we have developed a ventricular assist device program. A ventricular assist device or VAD, is a mechanical pump that supports the failing heart. VAD devices allow the heart to rest, and potentially recover after a major heart attack. This technology is only available at major referral centers. Also at the forefront of treating cardiovascular disease, our program offers endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic disease with stent graphs. These endovascular skills will prepare us to be one of the first centers in the region to perform percutaneous valve replacement. ANNA HANSON: There's a culture of caring that is very special. It's not really just a buzz word. It's so true. Each step of the way, people treat you with such kindness that I've had patients after they've gone through this, that they were really surprised. They felt that it was actually a wonderful experience. And to think that we've made a surgical experience into a wonderful one is just amazing. WILLIAM: The support I got from the hospital, from John Muir, was excellent. I had no idea what I needed to do in the beginning. And they gave me the road map to get where I needed to get. And there's nothing that can replace that. Right now, I'm working on the John Muir Hospital that I had the surgery, and I'm lucky enough to be working on the cardiovascular unit. And it's going to be a six-story structure. Should take about two to three years. And I would be on it the whole time. Created by
