Vanderbilt Heart

People with heart disease almost always need care from a cardiologist. A cardiologist is a doctor who specializes in the treatment of heart diseases. For some patients with heart disease, surgery is the best treatment option. When heart surgery is necessary, Vanderbilt has one of the country's best teams ready to help.

Services and Treatment
Vanderbilt’s heart surgeons are among the best in the country, and they train other surgeons who want to specialize in cardiac surgery. Our surgeons treat patients of all ages, including infants.

Surgery might be required for many reasons, including:

• Bypass surgery to go around blocked blood vessels
• Transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) to relieve severe angina (chest pain)
• Replacement or repair of a damaged heart valve
• Heart transplantation

Our cardiac surgery services fall into four major categories:

• Acquired (Adult) Heart Disease
• Congenital (Pediatric and Adult)
• Treatment Programs
• Thoracic Surgery

Providers
John Byrne, M.D., Chairman, Cardiac Surgery