Surgery

The days of routine two-week hospitals stays following coronary artery bypass surgery are long gone. At the Aspirus Heart & Vascular Institute, our surgeons employ the broadest array of technologies and techniques in the region, allowing patients to choose the treatment most likely to get them back on their feet in a hurry.

Beating heart surgery

The Aspirus Heart & Vascular Institute was the first program in the region to perform and embrace this superior technique for bypass surgery. Beating heart surgery, also called “off-pump surgery,” has higher success rates, promotes faster recovery and reduces complications. AHVI surgeons are national leaders, performing about 95% of bypass surgeries using this technique, compared to a national rate of just 30%.

Progressive procedure fixes Skadahl's leaky heart valve. (Read story)

Valve surgery

Heart valve disease is as different as the patients it affects. That’s why the Aspirus Heart & Vascular Institute provides so many options for valve repair and replacement. Our surgeons have extensive experience with valve repair surgery, and offer a comprehensive range of valve replacement options, from mechanical to human valves.

Atrial fibrillation surgery

An estimated 5 million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation, which causes irregular heart rate and inefficient heart function. If left untreated it can, over time, lead to heart failure and stroke. Our physicians have treated atrial fibrillation surgically since 2002, with excellent results. Now, a minimally invasive surgery is helping people who suffer from atrial fibrillation, but are otherwise healthy.

Minimally invasive techniques

The Aspirus Heart & Vascular Institute is a national leader in the use of minimally invasive techniques that improve surgery. One example is Endoscopic Vessel Harvest, a method of removing graft material for bypass surgery using half-inch incisions, rather than leg- or forearm-long incisions. This causes far less pain and reduces the chances of infection. Many of our surgeries, including lung procedures, can be performed as minimally invasive procedures.