February is the month we celebrate Valentine’s Day along with the symbolic image of the heart and all the love it represents. It is also American Heart Month. At CTVS, we celebrate hearts every second of every day, and every month of the year. Taking care of them has been our passion for more than half a century.
CTVS is a pioneer in heart health care since performing the first heart transplant surgery in Central Texas back in 1986. CTVS is still the only practice in Central Texas providing this life-saving procedure to adults 18+ years of age, and we have logged numerous successful surgeries in the past 35 years.
Heart transplantations are performed when a patient’s heart can no longer sufficiently pump blood to the rest of the body due to issues such as coronary artery disease, heart attacks, or a serious viral infection.
In addition to heart transplant surgery, other life-saving cardiac treatments that our CTVS board-certified cardiothoracic surgeons provide are:
- Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG), also known as “bypass surgery,” is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the United States. When a clogged coronary artery restricts blood flow to the heart, a blood vessel graft is needed to bypass the artery in order to restore healthy blood flow. CTVS performs approximately 1,000 CABG procedures each year.
- Valve repair and replacement is needed when function is disrupted in one of the four main valves of the heart. A valve can be surgically repaired in the case of a mild defect, but for more serious damage, a new replacement valve may be necessary.
- A ventricular assist device (VAD), sometimes referred to as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) or right ventricular assist device (RVAD) depending upon placement, is a mechanical pump that takes over the function of a failing heart. It is a battery-operated machine surgically implanted into a patient’s chest most often when they are waiting for a heart transplant.
Our cardiothoracic team consists of twelve physicians whose collective experience is unmatched here in Central Texas. They are:
- Stephen J. Dewan, D., F.A.C.S., F.A.C.C.
- Mark C. Felger, D.
- William F. Kessler, D., F.A.C.S.
- Hunter Q. Kirkland, D., F.A.C.S.
- Faraz Kerendi, D.
- Eric M. Hoenicke, D.
- Brannon R. Hyde, D., F.A.C.S.
- Chance Conner, M.D.
- Jonathan A. Yang, D., M.P.H.
- Jeffrey D. McNeil, D., F.A.C.S.
- Robert C. Neely, D.
- Brendan P. Dewan, D., F.A.C.S.
For questions about any of our heart health services, please visit us at ctvstexas.com or call (512) 459-8753 to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists.
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