Coronary Center at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute

Compassionate, Expert Care for Even the Most Challenging CAD Cases

The Coronary Center’s multidisciplinary team of world-class specialists welcomes all referrals to evaluate and treat high-risk patients. Our team includes general cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and heart failure specialists.

During our weekly Advanced Coronary Care (ACC) meetings, our team reviews all complex CAD cases to determine the best treatment plans for patients. Treatment plans include complex and high-risk interventional procedures, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), hybrid surgical options and medical management.

Patients who can benefit from a consultation with our team include those with:

• Total coronary artery occlusion (complete blockage in one or more coronary arteries).
• Coronary artery calcification that requires removal (atherectomy).
• Bifurcation disease (a narrowing at or near one of the smaller branches of a major coronary artery).
• Prior unsuccessful angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
• Poor left ventricular function (the left ventricle’s ability to pump blood effectively).
• Other medical conditions, including multivessel disease (when two or more coronary arteries are partially or completely blocked) and heart valve disease, that increase the risk of treatment complications.

In addition, we assess and provide treatment guidance to so-called “no-option” patients considered unsuitable for first-line CAD treatments.

Why Choose UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute?

• Our team is highly experienced. Each year, we perform 700 CABGs, of which 150 are either minimally invasive robotic-assisted or totally endoscopic, and 3,000 coronary percutaneous interventions.
• Our quality outcomes are nationally recognized. UH Cleveland Medical Center has been recognized with a 3-star rating for CABG, the highest quality tier, by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. This comprehensive rating system allows for comparisons regarding the quality of cardiac surgery among hospitals across the country. Approximately 10% of hospitals receive the 3-star rating nationally.
• Our team leads a strong research program. We conduct sponsored and investigator-driven clinical studies, providing our patients with access to the latest, most advanced therapies available.

Treatment Options for Complex CAD

Our team offers the full scope of open surgical and minimally invasive catheter-based procedures, dedicated to choosing the optimal technique for each patient. We evaluate which option will be most durable and effective, to minimize hospital stay and time for recovery.

Percutaneous coronary interventional options include:

• Balloon angioplasty.
• Rotational and orbital atherectomy.
• Drug-coated balloon angioplasty (DCB PCI).
• Clot removal and distal protection devices.
• Chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO PCI).
• “Unprotected” left main coronary artery and other high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions.
• High-risk assisted PCI with the use of intra-aortic balloon pump or percutaneous left ventricular support devices.
• Laser and lithotripsy treatment of failed stents and heavily calcified arteries.

Surgical options include:

• Multi-arterial grafting with radial artery or bilateral internal mammary artery options.
• Off-pump (beating heart) coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
• Robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
• Redo coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
• Coronary endarterectomy.
• Hybrid minimally invasive CABG/percutaneous coronary intervention.
• Totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB) surgery.

As an accredited advanced heart failure and transplant site, our team is skilled in determining if patients would be better treated with mechanical pumps or a heart transplant as opposed to other available treatment options.