Expert Heart & Lung Team
Beebe Healthcare offers an advanced cardiothoracic surgery program as part of our comprehensive Cardiovascular Services, which includes cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, vascular surgery and interventions, a full range of cardiac and vascular testing and monitoring, and cardiac rehab. Our cardiothoracic surgeons treat serious conditions of the heart, lungs, and chest that require surgery, such as congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and lung cancer.
Cardiothoracic Surgeries & Procedures
Beebe's heart and lung surgical teams offer both traditional and minimally invasive surgery. Using the da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgical System has allowed our teams to provide innovative surgical techniques to better serve our community. We offer both cardiac and thoracic robotically assisted procedures.
Common procedures include: open heart surgery, lung cancer surgery, lung section removals, tumor removals, cyst removals.
Call Beebe Cardiothoracic Surgery to make an appointment: 302-644-4282.
Meet the Team
Commonly Asked Questions
Beebe’s cardiac surgeons offer specific heart surgery programs to better serve our patients:
- Congestive Heart Failure. Statistics show patients with CHF are admitted to the hospital an average of three times per year. In addition, nearly 50 percent of patients die within five years of the initial diagnosis. At Beebe, our CHF Center of Excellence completes procedures including high-risk CABG, Impella device implantation, CardioHelp pulmonary-heart support, and LV aneurysmorraphy/resection.
- Atrial Fibrillation. Studies show that by 2050, nearly 16 million Americans are expected to have AF. Beebe’s AF Center of Excellence provides a full spectrum of treatments for abnormal heart rhythms, including education, surgical procedures including modified Maze, pulmonary vein isolation, robotically assisted device implantations and minimally invasive LV epicardial lead. The comprehensive program includes post-discharge follow up and recovery plans.
- Myocardial Revascularization Program. Procedures include CABG, da Vinci robotically assisted LIMA harvest and MIDCAB, among others.
- Pericardial Disease Program. Medication and surgery options are available to treat this inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart.
- Structural Heart Program. A multidisciplinary approach to repairing valve issues within the heart.
- Thoracic Aortic Disease. Ascending aortic replacement, ascending aortic dissections, and aortoplasty.
In addition to open heart surgery and traditional open surgeries, Beebe also offers the following robotically assisted, minimally invasive cardiac procedures:
Heart:
•Robotic LIMA harvesting & minimally invasive Single vessel CABG
•Robotic Epicardial lead placement for biventrucular pacemaker
•Robotic Left Atrial Appendage Clipping or Ligation
Pericardial:
•Robotic resection of Pericardial tumors (being & malignant)
•Robotic resection of simple pericardial cysts
•Robotic resection of Anterior Mediastinal Masses
•Robotic pericardial window & biopsy for pericardial effusion
Thoracic surgery or procedures of the lungs, chest, and esophagus, are performed based on the patient’s needs and wishes. There are multiple treatment options, including traditional, minimally invasive, and robotically assisted surgeries. The cardiothoracic team offers specific, personalized programs:
- Thoracic Oncology Program. Procedures include robotically assisted wedge resection, anatomic segmentectomy, lobectomy, and bi-lobectomy. Additional procedures include pneumonectomy, pancoast tumor resection, and chest wall resection.
- Pulmonary Nodule Clinic. Procedures include EBUS (endobronchial ultrasound), robotically assisted “Tatooing” wedge resection, and anatomic wedge resection.
- Mediastinal Disease Program. Benign or cancerous tumors in the area of the chest, often found during chest X-rays or scans, can be removed robotically using the da Vinci Xi surgical system. Procedures include: resection of anterior and/or posterior masses and thymectomy.
- Chest Wall Disease Program. Reconstruction or resection of the chest wall include: ORIF sternum, ribs; pectoralis and omental flap coverage; pancoast tumor resection; and chest wall tumor resection.
- Esophageal Disease Program. Procedures include minimally invasive complex hiatal hernia repair (Belsey-Mark IV repair), esophageal cancer surgery, and robotically assisted esophageal tumor and cyst removal, including leiomyomas.
- Diaphragm Disease Program. Surgical procedures include: repair of diaphragm hernias (Morgagni, Hiatal-Belsey Mark IV Fundoplication, Bochdaleck Hernias) and diaphragm plication for eventration (VATS and robotically assisted procedures).
- Pleural Disease Program. Procedures include PleurX (malignant pleural effusion), VATS (video-assisted thoracic surgery), robotically assisted decortication, and pleural tumor resection.
Beebe offers a wide variety of lung/thoracic procedures, including minimally invasive and robotically assisted procedures.
Beebe's cardiothoracic team utilizes the latest advances in heart and vein care. Surgeries are performed in modern operating rooms with Stryker Visium LED II lighting and in-light cameras with 32x zoom capability that allow the procedure to be viewed on monitors around the room. A powerful Phillips EPIQ 7 ultrasound imaging system delivers premium clarity. Other technologies include:
- First hospital in Delaware to use the CardioHelp system, Maquet’s portable heart-lung machine that provides extracorporeal life support (ECLS) to replace or support a patient’s circulation and respiration.
- TAVR: Beebe offers a program for patients called TAVR, which stands for transcatheter aortic valve replacement. This procedure can be an alternative to open heart surgery for higher-risk or frail patients.
- Impella: Beebe offers Impella implantation - the world's smallest heart pump.
- WATCHMAN: Our Electrophysiology and Interventional Cardiology team offers the Watchman for patients on certain heart medications. Learn more.