Care with Heart
Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Every 33 seconds, one person dies from cardiovascular disease. By knowing your numbers and getting your heart checked regularly, you can manage your risk for heart disease through lifestyle changes and medication.
If you, or someone you love, needs heart surgery, you want a skilled and caring surgical team that guides you each step of the way— from preparing for surgery all the way through recovery.
UPMC offers the largest and most complete heart surgery program in Pennsylvania. Our renowned heart surgeons are national and global experts in open and minimallyinvasive surgical techniques, including roboticassisted cardiac surgery.
What Is Coronary Artery Bypass( CABG) Surgery?
Coronary artery bypass graft( CABG) surgery is an intervention used to treat coronary artery disease when lifestyle changes, medicines, or catheterization procedures don’ t work.
CABG creates a new route for blood to flow around a blocked artery. During a CABG procedure, your surgeon takes a healthy artery or vein from another part of your body— called a graft— and uses it to bypass the blocked artery, increasing blood flow to the heart.
Robotic-Assisted CABG: An Innovative Alternative
UPMC offers innovative, minimallyinvasive alternatives to traditional open heart surgery, such as roboticassisted CABG.
During this procedure, the surgeon makes four small incisions on the side of the patient’ s chest. The surgeon then inserts robotic instruments to bypass the blocked artery to allow blood and oxygen to reach the heart.
Johannes Bonatti, MD, director of robotic cardiac surgery at UPMC, is an internationally recognized expert and pioneer in the use of roboticassisted cardiac surgery.