Once other options have been explored, surgery may be recommended as the best method to improve a patient's condition. The cardiovascular surgeons at Baptist Health Louisville are the same highly trained professionals who operate at Louisville's other major heart centers, and more than 500 open heart surgeries are performed each year at Baptist Health Louisville.

In addition to standard open heart procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafts, complex valve repair and replacement surgeries, aortic aneurysm and atrial fibrillation surgeries, the cardiovascular surgeons at Baptist Health are also trained in minimally invasive procedures, including off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery. All of these procedures are performed in Baptist Health's dedicated open heart surgery suites.

After surgery, patients stay in a dedicated, updated open heart recovery unit, staffed with nurses who specialize in post-surgery care for heart patients. Open-heart patients typically stay four to five days in the hospital following surgery. Family members can visit loved ones during their stay, and are an important part of their recovery. To better prepare patients and their families, Baptist Health offers family classes, which teach patients and their caregivers about heart disease, hospital and home activity, signs of complications and rehabilitation. All of this information is available before patients leave the hospital for home.