Cardiothoracic Surgery

St. Joseph’s University Medical Center has a long history of successful cardiothoracic surgery both in Adult and Pediatric patients. Given our long rich cardiac history, St. Joseph’s has prided itself in performing the newest minimally invasive cardiac procedures.

When medication and catheter-based treatments cannot relieve symptoms, surgery remains the accepted treatment for a range of cardiothoracic conditions, including but not limited to mitral valve prolapsed, atrial septal defect and coronary artery disease.

Less invasive procedures are increasingly available for patients facing cardiothoracic surgery. St. Joseph’s Health embraces state-of-the-art minimally invasive approaches with small keyhole incisions made between the ribs to perform coronary bypass or make repairs to the heart valve and other cardiac conditions. These procedures avoid all the other complications of standard open surgery.

St. Joseph’s Health has also made significant advances in the field of robotic surgery utilizing da Vinci Surgical Systems. Among the benefits of da Vinci cardiothoracic surgery are a reduced risk of infection, less blood loss and need for blood transfusions, shorter hospital stay, less pain and scarring, faster recovery and a quicker return to normal activities. Additionally, surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System offers the potential for a better clinical outcome.

St. Joseph’s multidisciplinary-team approach cardiac surgery program has some of the best outcomes in the tri-state area with emphasis on low complications well below the national average, blood conservation and high patient-family satisfaction.

Specializing in minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgical procedures, Mark W. Connolly, MD, Chairman, Department of Surgery, and Kourosh T. Asgarian, DO, Chief, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, along with Chirag D. Badami, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, have extensive clinical and academic experience and provides an integrative surgical approach to diseases of the heart and thoracic cavity. Drs. Connolly, Asgarian, and Badami are certified by both the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery.

Our Cardiac Surgeons treat the following conditions:

• Minimally invasive aortic valve surgery
• Minimally invasive mitral valve repair and replacement
• Robotic and minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting,
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement – TAVR
• Minimally invasive surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation
• Aortic Aneurysm Surgery
• Aortic Dissections
• Coronary Artery Bypass grafting- off pump/on pump
• Hybrid Revascularization
• Laser Transmyocardial Revascularization(TMR)
• Re-operative open heart surgery
• Diseases of the Pericardium
• Bicuspid Aortic Valve disease
• Marphan’s Syndromeic and aortic connective tissue disease
• Endovascular ahoracic aneurysm stenting
• Adult congenital heart disease
• Pediatric cardiac surgery
• Cardiac trauma
• Heart failure surgery
• Ventricular reconstruction surgery