Cardiothoracic surgeons specialize in procedures involving the heart, lungs, esophagus and other organs in the chest. At St. Bernards, our cardiothoracic surgeons have more options at their disposal to ensure you receive the surgery technique best for your situation. This includes both robot-assisted and minimally invasive surgeries, as well as open heart techniques.     

St. Bernards cardiothoracic surgeons perform a wide range of procedures including: 

  • Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS): A procedure that takes a healthy blood vessel from your leg, arm or chest and grafts it to a blocked area of your heart, allowing blood flow to be rerouted around the blockage. Depending on the diagnosis and the patient, CABG can be performed with traditional surgery, minimally invasive surgery or by using the DaVinci robot.
  • Endovascular stent graft: A minimally invasive procedure using a stent to treat abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms.
  • Esophagostomy: Used to treat esophageal cancer and other procedures, an esophagectomy removes the portion of your esophagus between your mouth and stomach and then uses healthy tissue from the stomach to reconstruct the affected area.
  • Pericardiectomy: A pericardiectomy is used to prevent fluid from building up in the area between your heart and pericardium, which is the membrane covering your heart. This condition is often seen in patients who have chronic pericarditis.
  • Thoracotomy: A thoracotomy is surgery often used to confirm lung cancer or to actually treat lung cancer. It can also be used to remove scar tissue in the lung or to repair an air leak in the lung.
  • TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement): TAVR is an advanced surgery used to replace the aortic valve when it becomes worn out or damaged. It involves replacing the damaged valve with a new valve by inserting a catheter in the groin or through a small incision in the chest wall.