Cardiovascular Surgery
Boulder Valley's most experienced heart surgery team
Cardiothoracic Surgery chair Dr. Daniel O'Hair and highly skilled surgeon
Dr. Bryan Mahan lead the only full-service Cardiothoracic Surgery program
-- and the only full-time Open Heart Surgery program -- performing procedures
in the Boulder Valley.
With more than 50 years of combined experience, our cardiovascular surgical
team offers considerable expertise that leads to better outcomes and healthier
lives. At Foothills Hospital in Boulder, our expert team performs a complete
range of advanced thoracic and cardiovascular surgeries and minimally
invasive procedures, including mitral valve repair using the latest da
Vinci Xi™ technology.
We specialize in treating adult heart disease, including the following
conditions and treatments:
- Aortic aneurysms
- Aortic root replacement and repair
- Aortic dissection
- Aortic valve replacement and repair
- Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
- Complex re-operative surgeries
- Robotic-assisted mitral valve repair using the da Vinci Xi™ surgical system
- Heart infections
- Lung cancer and other chest diseases requiring surgery
- Mitral valve replacement and repair
- Surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation (Cox-Maze IV procedure)
- Tricuspid valve replacement and repair
BCH cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons
Dr. Daniel O'Hair and
Dr. Bryan Mahan have extensive experience with traditional and minimally-invasive procedures.
Please call 303-442-2395 to schedule an appointment today.
Cox-Maze IV - Surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, is a
major cause of stroke, and is increasing in prevalence. Treatment options
include anticoagulant medications and catheter-based or surgical procedures.
Surgical treatments for AFib have improved greatly over the past two decades.
Boulder Heart's heart surgeons offer extensive experience in the current
the gold standard for surgical AFib treatment: the Cox-Maze IV procedure.
Involving only small incisions and punctures, Cox-Maze IV combines bipolar
radiofrequency with cryoablation.
Hybrid ablation - Addressing difficult-to-treat AFib
BCH's heart surgeons are one of only handful of surgeons in the state
to perform hybrid ablation, an advanced, minimally invasive procedure
to treat atrial fibrillation. Hybrid ablation is a collaborative procedure
performed by both a heart surgeon and an electrophysiologist in which
the heart surgeon creates scar tissue on the outside of the heart while
the electrophysiologist does the same on the inside by using a catheter-led
device to freeze malfunctioning tissue. The resulting “helpful”
scar tissue blocks damaged electrical pathways that cause AFib's characteristic
irregular heartbeat. Patients experience only three small incisions in
the chest and small punctures in the groin, and can return home after
just one or two nights in the hospital.
Robotic-assisted mitral valve repair - Noninvasive treatment to repair failing mitral valves
Robotically assisted mitral valve surgery is a type of minimally invasive
heart surgery on the mitral valve with an endoscopic, closed chest approach.
At Boulder Heart, it is performed by
Dr. Daniel O'Hair, Colorado's most experienced surgeon with this innovative procedure.
Your heart has four valves: mitral, tricuspid, aortic and pulmonic. The
mitral valve lies between the upper heart chamber and the lower heart
chamber. In patients with sever mitral valve disease, the valve must be
repaired or replaced, with a preference for the former. If you require
mitral valve surgery, either repair or replacement, you may be a candidate
for robotically assisted mitral valve surgery.
Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) - Repairing aortic aneurysms
TEVAR repairs the aorta using a stent-graft, a flexible metal coil that
seals off the weak part of the aorta and protects it from growing any
larger. Since TEVAR only requires small groin incisions, it typically
leads to shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery times compared to
traditional surgical approaches.
Advantages of a minimally invasive approach include:
- Reduced pain and recovery time
- Lower risk of infection
- Less blood loss
- Smaller, less noticeable scarring
- Shorter hospital stay (generally 1-2 nights in the hospital)
Make an Appointment Today
Make an appointment today to meet with our surgical care team and learn
about the best treatment options for you. To schedule, call (303) 442-2395.