Heart Surgery

When heart surgery is your best treatment option, you want patient-focused care from skilled surgeons using the newest technology and treatments. You want the cardiac surgery team at the University of Maryland Heart and Vascular Center.

Our team performs the most heart surgeries in Maryland.* They are leaders in cardiac research. And they will work with your cardiologist to individualize your treatment plan. 

Our comprehensive approach to heart care includes cardiogenetic testing, nutrition advice, cardiac rehabilitation, physical therapy, support groups and personalized risk-reduction plans.

Adult and Pediatric Heart Surgery

Our heart surgeons perform an array of procedures, ranging from congenital heart defect repairs in infants and children to heart transplants and other complex procedures for high-risk adults. We are also experts at performing basic and complex heart valve disease surgeries.

In 2018-2019, the Children’s Heart Program ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s top 50 pediatric heart surgery centers in the country, with some of its highest scores in heart transplant and congenital heart surgery.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures and Research

As a university-based cardiac surgery program, we attract top doctors who take on a large number of cases and pioneer research into innovative surgical treatments.

• Our surgeons perform hundreds of heart bypass surgeries each year, maintaining the highest level of expertise in both traditional and minimally invasive approaches to coronary artery disease.
• Our mitral valve team does hundreds of repairs every year. In fact, they do two and a half times more repairs than any other program in Maryland.
• For patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), the only cure for blood clots in their lungs is pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE). UM's Heart and Vascular Center surgeons have the extensive experience needed for this complex surgical technique.
• Our interventional cardiology program treats heart conditions like valve disease, heart attack, heart failure and arrhythmia with minimally invasive and robotic surgeries, reducing pain, scarring and recovery time.
• Our Children's Heart Program oversees a clinical trial that uses stem cells to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a severe form of congenital heart disease.

Training Future Heart Surgeons

Our Cardiothoracic Surgical Residency allows future physicians the opportunity for in-depth research. The program provides training in both general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery, a specialty at UMMC.

(*More heart surgery patients than any other program in the state. Based on APR-DRG codes from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2018. Dataset includes unique and repeat patients ages 18 and older.)