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Southeast Lab Services, previously located at 62 Doctors’ Park, is now open at 60 Doctors’ Park, upper level. Office hours are Monday – Friday from 8am – 4:30 pm.

Heart Surgery

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Heart Surgery

Southeast Hospital

1701 Lacey Street
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
573.334.4822

At SoutheastHEALTH, our cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons perform some of the most advanced surgeries and procedures in the nation. This means you don't have to travel to a major metropolitan area to get the high-quality care your heart deserves.

World-Class Heart Surgery Close to Home

There are many reasons to trust your heart to SoutheastHEALTH:

Our surgeons. Our cardiothoracic surgeons are board certified and have more than 70 years of combined experience treating disease and injuries within the chest.

Our facilities. SoutheastHEALTH is home to one of the nation's newest and best-equipped hybrid operating suites. This leading-edge facility allows us to offer the most advanced heart and vascular procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR).

Our hybrid operating room suite is equipped with highly specialized technology and equipment, such as real-time 3-D video screens and specialized operating tables.

Cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists and other specialists work together in this lab to perform procedures.

Our reputation for innovation. Our heart surgeons are among the first to use the latest techniques, like TAVR, that improve results for patients. We can provide even the most complex procedures on the highest risk patients.

Our affiliations and accreditations. We work in collaboration with prestigious Washington University Cardiothoracic Surgery, a highly respected academic surgery program.

And our program is one of only two in all of Missouri that has achieved Advanced Certification by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association as a Comprehensive Cardiac Center.

Heart Surgeries We Perform

Many people with heart valve disease have no symptoms, but others may need surgery.
What’s heart valve disease? Find out.

Reviewed 11/9/2022

Heart valve disease: An overview

Heart valve disease happens when one or more of the heart's four valves isn't working right.

Some people have heart valve disease that remains stable throughout their life and doesn't cause problems. But, for others, the problem slowly worsens. Left untreated, later-stage heart valve disease can lead to heart failure, stroke, blood clots or death due to sudden cardiac arrest.

Keep scrolling to learn more about the different types of heart valve disease.

HOW YOUR HEART VALVES WORK:

Your blood is supposed to flow one way through your heart. It enters through the top chambers, flows down to the bottom chambers and out to the rest of your body. This happens with every heartbeat. The heart valves are like gates that direct the traffic. They open—and quickly close—to let the blood keep flowing forward to its next destination.

Heart valve disease can stop that from happening.

The two main problems that can happen when heart valves are diseased or damaged are regurgitation and stenosis. It's possible for a valve to have both of these problems.

REGURGITATION (BACKFLOW):

This occurs when a valve doesn't close tightly. Blood leaks back into the chambers instead of flowing forward through or out of the heart. The heart has to work harder to pump the backflow. Over time, this can cause the overworked heart muscle to thicken. Backflow can also cause a buildup of fluid in the lungs.

STENOSIS:

Stenosis occurs when the flaps of a valve thicken, stiffen or fuse together. Stenosis can prevent a heart valve from opening all the way, which leads to not enough blood flowing through the valve.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEART VALVE DISEASE:

Many people have heart valve disease without any symptoms.

When signs and symptoms occur, they commonly include:

  • A heart murmur or unusual heartbeat. This is the main sign of heart valve disease.
  • Shortness of breath during activity or when lying down.
  • Extreme exhaustion or weakness.
  • Dizziness or fainting.
  • Fluttering or racing heartbeat.

TREATING HEART VALVE DISEASE:

No medicines can cure heart valve disease. But medicines and lifestyle changes can treat many of its symptoms and complications. And if heart valve disease worsens, surgery to replace or repair the heart valve can be effective.

If you have heart valve disease, your doctor will be able to help you decide on the treatment plan that's right for you.

How does your heart work?

Learn more about the structure of your heart and how it works.

GET THE INFO

Sources: American College of Cardiology; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Sources

We treat all types of congenital or acquired heart conditions. This means that whether you need surgery to correct a heart problem you were born with or one that you were just diagnosed with, we can help.

A few examples of the conditions we treat are heart lesions, coronary artery disease, heart valve diseases and heart defects.

Here are some of the heart surgeries and procedures we perform:

  • Treatments for blocked arteries like coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (also known as coronary angioplasty)
  • Valve procedures, including TAVR, TMVR and Perceval sutureless aortic valve surgery
  • Surgery to repair aortic aneurysms and tears
  • Congenital heart surgery, to fix or treat genetic heart defects
  • Arrhythmia surgery, to correct irregular heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia and to implant devices like pacemakers and defibrillators
  • Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement (a mechanical device that helps the heart pump blood)
  • Left ventricular remodeling/surgical ventricular restoration, to give the heart a more normal shape after a heart attack so that it can pump blood more efficiently
  • Myectomy/myotomy, surgery to remove part of an enlarged heart wall for symptom relief

How to Make an Appointment with a Heart Surgeon

You will need a referral to see a surgeon. Talk with your primary care provider or your cardiologist.

To learn more or to schedule an appointment, please call 573.331.7870.

To find out if you're a candidate for TAVR, please call the valve clinic coordinator at 573.331.6770.