Heart and vascular surgery

• Angioplasty and stenting
• Cardiac ablation for heart arrhythmia
• Cardiac assist device implantation
• Carotid endarterectomy
• Device placement for heart attack
• Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR)
• Heart transplant
• Structural heart procedures
• Surgical bypass
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive alternative for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are too high risk for open-heart surgery. Instead of opening up the chest cavity, our surgeons insert a new aortic valve through the femoral artery or through a small incision in the chest.

With the largest heart transplant program in Central and South Texas, we offer medical and surgical therapies for heart failure and other cardiac conditions that meet transplant criteria. Our diverse team consists of physicians, transplant nurse coordinators, social workers and support staff who care for patients throughout their transplant journey.

During a carotid endarterectomy, a vascular surgeon removes the inner lining of your carotid artery, which has been damaged due to plaque buildup. Your vascular surgeon makes an incision on one side of your neck to access the obstructed carotid artery. Your carotid artery is temporarily clamped to stop blood from flowing through it, but your brain will still receive blood from your other artery.

Once the artery is clamped, your vascular surgeon will make an incision into the artery and remove any plaque deposit by removing the lining of the diseased section of the artery. The artery is then stitched back together and the neck opening closed. The entire operation usually takes around two hours from start to finish.

After an angioplasty, a vascular surgeon may insert a stent to reinforce the blocked area of the artery to prevent future obstruction from plaque. A stent is a tiny spring-like mesh tube containing a small balloon. Your vascular surgeon guides the stent through the same opening they used during your angioplasty to the widened section of the atherosclerosis-affected artery.

There, the surgeon inflates the balloon inside the stent, causing the stent to expand to fit the size of the artery. The catheter is then removed and the operation is complete. The stent will support your artery wall from closing again while allowing blood to flow normally inside the artery.

Carotid artery stenting

Similar to a carotid endarterectomy, carotid artery stenting relieves the accumulation of plaque deposits in the carotid artery. Carotid stenting is an alternative surgery if patients are considered to be too high of a risk for the traditional endarterectomy.

Surgical bypass treats the narrowed arteries caused by atherosclerosis, creating a detour around the blocked section of your artery so blood can once again freely flow at normal levels.

Similar to bypass surgery on the heart’s arteries, surgical bypass for peripheral arterial disease involves creating a new pathway for blood flow using a graft. Grafts can be constructed from a portion of one of your veins or a man-made synthetic tube—like a stent. Your vascular surgeon connects the graft above and below the blockage to allow blood to freely pass.

Typically, vascular surgeons use bypasses to treat arteries in the leg that have become blocked.

An angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure performed by vascular surgeons or radiologists that improves blood flow in an obstructed or narrowed artery.

A vascular surgeon or radiologist will insert a thin catheter into your body and guide it to the blocked area with the assistance of X–ray imaging. Once a catheter’s is blown up to widen the opening, a vascular surgeon or radiologist will insert a thin catheter into your body and guide it to the blocked area with the assistance of X–ray imaging.

This process is repeated until the plaque has been flattened against the artery wall, allowing for blood to resume flowing freely. Typically, an angioplasty only takes a couple of minutes to complete and is relatively pain–free.