Heart Failure Clinic at St. Joseph Health - Bryan, TX

Coronary bypass (a.k.a., coronary artery bypass surgery or coronary artery bypass graft) is a surgery used to treat coronary artery disease, the blocking or narrowing of the arteries that carry blood an oxygen to the heart. The procedure grafts healthy blood vessels from elsewhere in the body around coronary artery blockages to redirect and restore blood flow to the heart.

Heart failure surgery is necessary when the heart cannot pump sufficient blood, a condition generally caused by heart attack, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, or diabetes. Depending on the individual condition and its causes, surgery to treat heart failure may mean heart valve surgery, coronary artery bypass surgery, heart transplant, or implanted devices.

Heart valve surgery treats valve disease, the narrowing, stiffening, or leaking of the heart valves by repairing or replacing heart valve(s), located between the heart’s chambers, to restore proper blood pumping. It may be open or minimally invasive surgery.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the thickening and hardening of the walls of the heart chamber, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is most commonly caused by an abnormal gene (or high blood pressure/aging) and can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and heart failure. Treatments include medications and carious surgical procedures.

A condition in which the Mitral Valve (one of the heart’s four valves) develops a leak. When functioning properly, the Mitral Valve prevents blood from flowing from the left ventricle back into the left atrium. However, when the Mitral Valve is leaky, some blood flows backward each time the heart contracts. In severe cases, Mitral Valve Regurgitation can lead to heart failure.

A thoracic aortic aneurysm, an abnormal bulge in a weakened wall of the aorta in the chest area, can cause a variety of symptoms and often life-threatening complications. Due to the serious risks it presents, timely diagnosis and treatment of a thoracic aneurysm are critical.

A condition in which the tricuspid valve (one of the heart’s four valves) develops a leak allowing blood to flow backward into the right atrium each time the heart contracts. In severe cases, Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation can lead to heart failure.

A Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) is a mechanical pump that is placed in the heart to help pump blood from the lower ventricles to the rest of the body. Sometimes patients who receive VADS recover full function of their heart and are able to have the device removed. A Total Artificial Heart is a mechanical device that replaces both the right and left ventricles as well as all four heart valves, providing circulatory support for the body.