Michael Cortelli, MD, Chief, Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute

Heart Surgery

We have a 3-star rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for heart surgery outcomes, with cardiac surgeons skilled in a variety of procedures, including heart transplant.

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Explore Our Heart Surgery Services

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855-400-6284

From advanced heart surgeries to more routine cardiac procedures, Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute’s cardiac surgery specialists treats a wide range of patients, including those who need a heart transplant.

When Is Heart Surgery Necessary?

Interventional cardiologists can do many nonsurgical procedures via cardiac catheterization. The technology and capability for these treatments are better than ever.

However, sometimes heart surgery is still the best option for certain patients. We look at each person as an individual to determine the best treatment path.

For example, some patients with heart valve disease will need heart valve replacement surgery. For other patients, we may recommend a less-invasive procedure to replace the heart valve. Every decision is a team decision, based on what we know (the evidence), your condition and risk factors.

Why Choose Memorial for Cardiac Surgery?

We are a community hospital with a strong heart surgery program. That means we are able to treat a wide variety of heart conditions. Our program offers:

Recognized excellence: Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for our patient care and outcomes in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures, isolated mitral valve replacement and repair (MVRR) surgery, and MVRR+CABG in the latest analysis of data for the period ending December 2021. Additionally, for the reporting period ending September 21, 2021, we earned the highest STS 3-star rating for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), with 93% of our eligible TAVR patients experiencing no major complications (death, stroke, bleeding, AKI, PVL), beating out the national average of 90%. The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, and places Memorial among the elite for cardiac surgery in the United States and Canada.
Surgical experience: Memorial’s board-certified heart surgeons bring years of experience performing a range of surgeries. The greater the variety of procedures surgeons do, the more prepared they are to deal with unexpected situations in surgery. Memorial ranks among the nation’s best in heart surgery, achieving high ratings for over 10 years in a row for cardiac surgery quality and care from the highly regarded Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
Continuum of care: When patients come out of surgery, they need around-the-clock, intensive care. Cardiac intensivists provide this 24/7 monitoring in our cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU). Intensivists are doctors with specialized training in providing intensive care, personalized to the needs of heart and vascular patients
Full range of surgeries, including heart transplant: Our TotalHeart approach means that we can treat the full range of heart conditions with advanced therapies including heart transplant. That expertise means Memorial is the one place to go for your heart care. Through our partnership with pediatric cardiac surgeons at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, we can treat newborns to adults

I-wen Wang, MD - Cardiac Surgeon

I-wen Wang, MD, chief, ECMO services, has a background in engineering and worked as an automotive tire engineer before he became a heart surgeon.
His engineering background is helpful when he works with heart failure and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients. He values developing trust and a rapport with his patients.

Michael Cortelli, MD Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, Chief Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute

Chief, Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute

I am a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon and chief of Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute. I have performed or assisted in more than 4,000 heart surgeries and specialize in minimally invasive surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation, mitral valve surgery and mechanical circulatory support.

Marc’s Harmony™ Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve (TPV) Replacement Story

When Marc, who has adult congenital heart disease, needed a new heart valve the leaders of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital collaborated to perform the first HarmonyTM valve replacement in South Florida.

Watch to learn about the procedure and how it helped Marc avoid open-heart surgery.

Nationally Ranked Memorial Heart Surgery Made All the Difference for Elinor

Memorial ranks among the nation’s best in heart surgery, achieving high ratings for over 10 years in a row for cardiac surgery quality and care from the highly regarded Society of Thoracic Surgeons.