There was a time, not many years ago, when coronary artery bypass surgery - commonly referred to as "open heart" or simply "heart bypass" surgery - required the patient's heart to be stopped so the surgeon could graft new arteries in place of blocked heart vessels. A "heart-lung machine" would take over until the heart could be restarted.

But today, the heart surgery team at Southeast Missouri Hospital performs most bypasses without stopping the heart…that is, "without missing a beat." They do this by using special devices to hold portions of the heart steady while the rest of the organ keeps pumping.

All three heart surgeons at Southeast Missouri Hospital's Regional Heart Center - Drs. J. Darryl Ramsey, Randy G. Brown, and William R.M. Ogle - are trained in and regularly perform "beating heart" bypasses.

Benefits of this type of bypass surgery include a decreased need for blood transfusions during the operation and a reduced rate of post-surgery complications. Studies have also indicated that patients who undergo "beating heart" bypasses have a lower risk of bleeding, cardiac arrhythmia, and stroke. Most of them also have shorter hospital stays and recover more quickly than bypass patients whose hearts are stopped during their operations.

Experience. Teamwork. Quality Outcomes. Advanced Technology and Procedures. Personalized Care. Good reasons to choose the four Cardiac and Vascular surgeons at Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Cardiac & Vascular Surgeons

OFFERING A full range of services including:
• Top quality surgical and post-operative care
• All arterial bypass grafting, including radial artery
• All valve repairs, including stentless insertions
• Off-pump cardiac bypass, “beating heart” surgery
• Endovascular AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysm) repairs
• Bypass using aortic connector

573-334-5070 or 573-331-6333
Located on Lacey Street across from Southeast Missouri Hospital.
Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Learn more about our World-Class Regional Heart Center