Cirugía cardíaca

An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm condition caused by the heart's electrical system, resulting in the heart beating at an irregular pace—too fast or too slow. Some heart arrhythmias have no complications, but other more serious conditions can result in heart failure, stroke or even cardiac arrest.

At the Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular – Dallas Heart Rhythm Center, a multidisciplinary heart care team specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal heart rhythms. In addition to medication therapy, arrhythmia surgery procedure options include surgical ablation to destroy or remove the tissue causing the arrhythmia and requires general anesthesia. Minimally invasive arrhythmia surgery options are also available, such as the Maze procedure that addresses a specialized type of arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation.

The most common cardiovascular surgery procedure in the United States is coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This is a treatment for coronary artery disease.

The cause of any particular congenital heart defect is typically unknown. However, factors that may increase the chance of a heart defect include a family history of birth defects, premature birth or genetic conditions, such as Down syndrome. Pregnant women exposed to certain prescription medications, those who get rubella (German measles) and women with uncontrolled diabetes are at greater risk. Some congenital heart problems can be watched by the baby's doctor and managed with medicines, while others will require heart surgery.

Heart failure is a condition in which your heart doesn’t work as well as it should. If the heart is too weak or too stiff, the heart, organs and tissues receive an inadequate supply of blood, and you may have difficulty doing things that have been easy in the past. You can experience heart failure without ever suffering a heart attack. The good news is that heart failure is a treatable condition.

The heart specialists on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas help patients diagnosed with heart failure by offering cardiac surgery treatment options, including a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), the total artificial heart and heart transplant.

Heart valve disease is a condition that occurs when heart valves fail to open and close properly. If left untreated, valve disease may lead to arrhythmias, an abnormal heart rhythm or congestive heart failure. A dedicated team of interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and imaging specialists on the medical staff diagnose and treat patients with valve disease at the Center for Valve Disorders, part of Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular – Dallas.

Treatment options include open-heart and minimally invasive surgical procedures for valve repair and valve replacement.