For Leonard Glazer, the prospect of openheart surgery seemed daunting. Most surgeons would label the then 90-year-old man too old for such a demanding operation. But the team at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute saw beyond the statistics and repaired his damaged valve with traditional open-heart surgery.
The procedure is just one of the many surgical treatments offered by the Institute’s expert team. In cardiac surgery rooms at Baptist Hospital and South Miami Hospital equipped with state-of-the-art technology, physicians use the latest techniques to perform traditional surgery, as well as minimally invasive procedures.
“At Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, we take a multidisciplinary approach to treating each patient,” said Dr. Niberto Moreno, medical director or cardiac surgery at the Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute. “Because our team has experience in different types of procedures, we work together to give the best medical opinion. We can tailor our recommendations to fit a patient’s needs. We create an individualized treatment to ensure the best outcomes.”
The Institute team includes heart surgeons, interventional cardiologists, and board-certified anesthesiologists who specialize in cardiac care. They perform coronary artery bypass, beating heart surgery — the heart is repaired without the use of a heart-lung machine — and bloodless surgery, with specialized pre- and post-operative care to minimize blood loss. They implant ventricularassist devices for patients suffering from heart failure. Minimally invasive procedures — such as percutaneous repair of heart defects, heart-valve repairs and replacements — allow physicians to reach the heart through a narrow tube navigated through tiny holes in the leg or groin without cutting the ribs and opening the chest. These techniques offer patients a shorter hospital stay with less pain, less blood loss and an easier recovery.
With an eye toward innovation, Institute physicians also participate in clinical trials and research to improve patient care. Since the Institute’s founding in 1987, its surgeons and interventionalists have been at the forefront of the latest advances in patient care. The team performs the recently approved transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure for patients who are not candidates for traditional valve surgery. The minimally invasive procedure replaces a damaged valve with an artificial one. Surgeons are implanting the SOLO stentless heart valve — an artificial aortic valve made from natural tissue from the sac near the heart of a cow. The SOLO does not contain metals or polymers and is the latest evolution in valve technology.
“The Institute is really a comprehensive center,” said Dr. Moreno. “We understand that one size does not fit all patients. We treat all types of heart disease and our expertise delivers the highest quality care to our patients.”
