Published on September 07, 2010

Washington Adventist Hospital Expands Cardiac Care with Addition of Regionally-Recognized Team of Heart Surgeons

Surgeons Bring Minimally-Invasive Valve Surgery to Hospital’s Leading and Innovative Cardiac Program

Takoma Park , MD – Washington Adventist Hospital is expanding its cardiac services and will now offer minimally-invasive valve surgery to its wide range of comprehensive treatments for heart disease.  The hospital is also welcoming a new medical director of cardiac surgery and team of surgeons from Cardiac Vascular and Thoracic Surgery Associates (CVTSA) to its expert staff.

These board-certified heart surgeons rank among the top physicians in the region, consistently making Washingtonian Magazine’s annual list of top area doctors. They have pioneered the development of minimally-invasive valve surgery and will offer this and other advanced surgery options to area patients at Washington Adventist Hospital. 

“We are pleased to provide surgery at Washington Adventist Hospital and add our expertise to the hospital’s well-established and leading heart program,” said Dr. Paul Massimiano, Medical Director of cardiac surgery at Washington Adventist Hospital and president of CVTSA, which is based in Northern Virginia with new offices in Takoma Park. “We look forward to teaming up with the cardiologists in suburban Maryland to continue building robust cardiac services which offer patients more treatment options in their community, when surgery is needed.”

Among the cutting-edge treatments these surgeons will perform are minimally-invasive mitral valve and aortic valve surgery. Patients who once had to endure having their breast bone broken, long incision scars and painful recoveries now have an incision only five to six centimeters in length. This allows patients to heal faster, with less pain and return more quickly to normal life.

“Washington Adventist Hospital is dedicated to continually offering our community a full range of the most advanced cardiac services available,” said Joyce Portela, Senior Executive Officer at Washington Adventist Hospital. “The skill and experience this group of heart surgeons brings to our patients allows us to build on our nearly 50-year legacy of innovation, clinical excellence and compassionate cardiac care.”

Earlier this year, Washington Adventist Hospital became the first hospital in the Washington, D.C. region and only the second in Maryland to achieve the highest level Chest Pain Center accreditation granted by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. The hospital also has been recognized with the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline Achievement Award.  Both achievements recognize the hospital's rapid diagnosis and treatment of heart attack patients.

Washington Adventist Hospital is a 281-bed acute-care facility located in Takoma Park, Maryland. Washington Adventist Hospital is Montgomery County’s first cardiac center, performing more than 500 open-heart surgeries and more than 6,000 heart catheterizations each year. The Hospital is the first accredited Cycle III Chest Pain Center in the DC Metro Area. Washington Adventist Hospital is part of Adventist HealthCare, an integrated health-care delivery system based in Rockville, Maryland, that is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland. For more information visit, www.washingtonadventisthospital.com.