Surgical and Nonsurgical Heart Procedures

Overview of heart procedures performed at Sharp in San Diego.

Sharp's award-winning cardiac services deliver excellence in patient care, including nonsurgical care, minimally invasive (interventional) treatment and surgical procedures. Only you and your doctor can determine what treatment option is right for you. Your treatment plan will be designed to meet your individual needs and help you live longer and healthier.

Research shows that interventional cardiology and electrophysiology procedures are very effective in eliminating blockages in the coronary arteries, correcting abnormal heart rhythms, placing lifesaving pacemakers and placing automatic defibrillators. Minimally invasive procedures require only a small incision and are often less risky, produce less pain and result in a faster, easier recovery than surgery.

Electrophysiology/Arrhythmia Services

  • Ablation therapy
  • Automatic implantable cardiac defibrillators (AICD)
  • Electrophysiological studies
  • Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)
  • MAZE and mini-MAZE procedures
  • Pacemakers

Minimally Invasive (Interventional) Surgical Procedures

  • Angioplasty and stenting
  • Atherectomy
  • Automatic internal cardiac defibrillator placement (AICD)
  • Balloon valvuplasty
  • Cardiac catheterization
  • Cardiopulmonary support (CPS)
  • Drug-eluting stent (DES) placement
  • Intra-aortic balloon pump placement (IABP)
  • Laser angioplasty
  • Pacemaker and biventricular pacemaker
  • Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
  • Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
  • Stent placement 
  • Thrombectomy (clot removal)

Surgical Heart Procedures

  • Adult congenital defect repairs
  • Arrhythmia surgery
  • Emergent, portable cardiopulmonary bypass (CPS)
  • Heart bypass surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting surgery or CABG)
  • Heart transplant
  • Heart valve surgery
  • MAZE and mini-MAZE procedures
  • Mechanical assist device (MAD) placement
  • Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy
  • Septal defect repair
  • Valve surgery
  • Vein harvesting

Body Animations
Learn more about how angioplasty, stenting and cardiac catheterization procedures are performed by watching an animated video. (Requires a free Flash plug-in.)

For More Information
For more information about heart and vascular care at Sharp or to find a Sharp-affiliated doctor, search for a San Diego cardiologist or call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. To find general information about heart and vascular care, visit Cardiovascular Diseases in Adult Health or read the Heart and Cardiovascular News archive.