Cardiovascular Surgery Department
Overview
Established in 2006, the Cardiovascular Surgery Department has continuously developed and expanded, and now the Department has become a key unit of the Cardiovascular Center – University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City Hospital. The Department is responsible for treating surgical cardiovascular diseases such as valve disease, coronary artery disease, aortic disease, heart tumors, and congenital heart disease in adults and children.
The Department is proud to be the first unit in the South to implement minimally invasive endoscopic heart surgery techniques with outstanding advantages over open surgery. To date, the Department remains a pioneering unit applying and deeply developing minimally invasive cardiac treatment techniques to provide patients with optimal treatment outcomes. Especially the transcatheter heart valve replacement techniques that do not require surgery such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation – TAVI and transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement – TPVR, which the Department has implemented since 2014 and 2023, currently leading the country in this technique.
Through effort and dedication, the Department was honored with the “Vietnam Medical Achievement” award in 2020 and 2023 for these two techniques. With the motto “From heart to heart”, the Cardiovascular Surgery Department is a trusted examination and treatment address for millions of cardiovascular patients over the past period.
Commitment: We make maximum effort for each patient and each difficult case with all available human resources and equipment, believing that every patient must receive optimal treatment and dedicated care.
Teamwork: We understand the importance of collective strength and coordinate multiple teams and specialties in the cardiovascular field to bring together expertise, excellence, and experience into each case we care for.
Empathy: We always strive to accompany each patient and family, from physical and mental health aspects to social circumstances, to find optimal solutions.
Unit
Original Cardiac Imaging Prescription
Đơn nguyên Can thiệp bệnh lý động mạch chủ
Đơn nguyên Can thiệp tim bẩm sinh
Strength
With the goal of meeting the increasing demand for medical examination and treatment, the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery continuously strives to raise professional expertise, apply many advanced techniques, and combine modern medical equipment that provides strong support for early disease detection, timely and effective treatment.
Diagnosis and consultation of cardiovascular diseases
Heart valve diseases: mitral valve, tricuspid valve, aortic valve, pulmonary valve.
Coronary artery disease.
Aortic diseases: aneurysm, dissection.
Congenital heart diseases: atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, persistent ductus arteriosus, Tetralogy of Fallot, partial/full atrioventricular canal, single ventricle…
Treatment of cardiovascular diseases
Reconstructive (repair) or valve replacement surgery: mitral, tricuspid, aortic, pulmonary valves.
Coronary artery bypass surgery, employing new advanced techniques such as OPCAB (off‑pump coronary artery bypass, performed without cardiopulmonary bypass, the heart continues beating), using two internal thoracic arteries for total grafting,…
Surgery for complex congenital heart disease.
Surgery for aortic aneurysm and dissection – improved and minimally invasive techniques are applied to enhance treatment efficacy, providing patients with comprehensive pain reduction, no complications, shorter recovery and rehabilitation time, and small, highly aesthetic scars…
Prominent minimally invasive techniques
Endoscopic surgery: repair or replace mitral, aortic, and tricuspid valves. On average, the department successfully performs about 300 cases per year.
Treatment of aortic diseases (aneurysm, dissection) without open surgery using endovascular intervention – Stent Graft.
Transcatheter heart valve replacement without surgery, such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR).
Minimally invasive surgery for complex congenital heart diseases.
Training & Research
Regarding training, with an advanced School‑Institute combined model, the Department’s leadership also serves as the Chair of the Thoracic Surgery Department at the University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City, giving the Department a distinct advantage in education.
In terms of scientific research, the Department has completed many minimally invasive cardiac surgery projects. It leads city‑level scientific research topics such as “Effectiveness of minimally invasive cardiac surgery”; “Effectiveness of total arterial coronary artery bypass surgery”. Throughout its operation, the Department has produced more than 30 scientific papers published in reputable ISA medical journals indexed in Scopus, and over 200 papers published in domestic medical journals.
In terms of international cooperation, the Department is the only unit in Asia participating in the minimally invasive mitral valve surgery database together with 22 cardiac centers in North America and Europe.
Each year the Department trains resident physicians, Masters, PhDs, CKI and CKII physicians for postgraduate doctors. Moreover, the Department expands training to international fellows, including postgraduate doctors from the Netherlands, Japan, … The Department regularly organizes conferences, seminars, continuous medical education (CME) programs, and professional meetings with provincial hospitals from the South Central region to Ca Mau. Notably, the Department was selected as the rotating host for the Asian and International Cardiac Surgery Congress. In addition, the Department frequently presents at international conferences and seminars to broaden expertise, foster exchange, and share experience.
During its operation, the Department has produced more than 30 scientific papers published in reputable ISA medical journals indexed in Scopus, and over 200 papers published in domestic medical journals.
The Department signs a professional cooperation agreement with the Leipzig Cardiology Center (Germany), UCSF University Hospital (USA), and St. Bartholomew’s Hospital (UK). This activity further strengthens the good relationship between the units, and also provides an opportunity for comprehensive cooperation in training, professional exchange on minimally invasive heart surgery in particular and cardiology in general.
Equipments
In addition to human resources, a modern system of equipment and machinery is an indispensable component that determines the quality of cardiovascular examination and treatment. Aiming to provide patients with the best service quality, the Department currently possesses advanced equipment such as:
ECG machine for electrocardiogram to check heart rhythm.
24‑hour home blood pressure monitor that continuously tracks ambulatory blood pressure for 24 hours to detect hypertension early or evaluate treatment effectiveness.
Holter ECG monitor that records heart rhythm continuously from 24 hours up to 14 days with 12 leads, helping detect arrhythmias such as bradycardia, tachycardia, and myocardial ischemia.
Specialized cardiac and vascular ultrasound machine that assesses blood flow in the body, allowing identification of abnormalities such as arterial or venous blockage, atherosclerosis, thrombus, etc.
Cardiac and coronary MSCT scanner for high‑sensitivity, high‑specificity imaging diagnostics.
Cardiac MRI scanner providing faster, more accurate images than X‑ray for diagnosing cardiovascular diseases.
DSA system – a two‑plane coronary angiography machine offering a new vascular imaging method for diagnosing cardiac and vascular diseases.
ECMO system that uses external circulation and oxygen exchange to support life in patients with severe circulatory or respiratory failure.
The operating rooms and cardiovascular intensive care unit meet international standards, providing patients with confidence and comfort during procedures.
Staff
The staff at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery includes many Associate Professors, PhDs, and Masters trained abroad from countries with leading medical education such as the United States, France, Japan, South Korea,… All doctors are surgeons with many years of experience in cardiovascular surgery, proficient in minimally invasive techniques (endoscopic heart surgery). Additionally, the nursing team, rigorously trained at the University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City, cannot be overlooked. With a combined training‑practice School‑Institute model, the nursing staff are skilled from the start, providing strong support for physicians in treating and comprehensively caring for patients.