Cardiac Surgery

View the 2022 Cardiac Surgery Clinical Outcomes & Innovation Report

Cardiac Surgery Outcomes Report
(click here)

When surgery is your best treatment option for a heart condition, choose the board-certified, fellowship-trained cardiac surgeons at the Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute.

Find expert care at Hartford Hospital, a convenient drive for patients in New Haven, Litchfield, and Middlesex counties, as well as residents of Rhode Island and western Massachusetts.

Experienced Heart Surgeons

In Dec. 2022, Hartford Hospital received the highest possible composite quality rating in four procedure categories from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).

The hospital earned the three-star rating from the STS for mitral valve repair/replacement (MVRR), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), combined MVRR and CABG, and combined aortic valve replacement and CABG. The award from the STS is reported twice a year, in June and December. Hartford Hospital is the only center in the state to receive three-stars in all four of these areas.

The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded measures of quality in healthcare, rating the outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the United States and Canada. The star rating is calculated using combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS database participant. Historically, about five to ten percent of participants receive the highest three star rating for any category. To receive a three star rating in four out of the five reported categories, places Hartford Hospital in the top one percent of all rated programs. This will be the seventh consecutive time that Hartford Hospital has achieved this distinction.


Sabet Hashim Heart and Valve

Dr. Sabet Hashim, Chairman of Cardiac Surgery and Co-Physician in Chief of the Heart & Vascular Institute, is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive aortic and mitral valve surgery and repair.

Dr. Hashim earned his medical degree from St. Joseph’s University School of Medicine, Beirut, in 1975. He received his general surgical training from Columbia University at St. Luke's Hospital in New York City.

He joined the Yale University faculty after his cardiothoracic residency at Yale New Haven Hospital.


Your surgical team has the specialized experience needed to provide the most advanced treatments for delicate hearts. The Heart & Vascular Institute performs over 1,000 surgical procedures each year.

You can trust our expertise because Blue Cross Blue Shield recognized Hartford Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center+ for cardiac care. That means patients who receive heart valve surgery or coronary artery bypass surgery experience:

  • Better quality
  • Improved outcomes, including lower complication rates
  • More affordable care

View Cardiac Surgeons

Heart Surgery Procedures

Trust the expert heart surgeons at the Heart & Vascular Institute when you need one of these procedures.

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)

Coronary bypass surgery reroutes blood around clogged heart arteries to treat coronary artery disease. At the Heart & Vascular Institute, you may benefit from a technique that Dr. Sabet Hashim developed to prevent the need for more treatment later in life.

Heart Transplant

Heart transplant treats heart failure by replacing your heart with a healthy donor organ. Entrust your care to the experienced team at Hartford Hospital, now part of the Heart & Vascular Institute, which has been performing successful heart transplants longer than any other Connecticut hospital.

Mini Maze Surgery

Mini maze surgery treats atrial fibrillation by sending your heart’s electrical impulses in the right direction. Your surgeon at the Heart & Vascular Institute will use only small incisions, so you recover sooner.

Mitral Valve Repair

Mitral valve surgery stops blood from leaking backward through the heart. Surgeons at the Heart & Vascular Institute nearly always repair, not replace, mitral valves. That means you’ll experience the best possible long-term outcome. 

Heart Conditions We Treat

Your physician at the Heart & Vascular Institute may recommend surgery to treat conditions such as:

Recovery & Support

Recover and regain strength after heart surgery with cardiac rehabilitation. In this supervised exercise program, you’ll reduce the risk of future heart problems and learn how to live a heart-healthy lifestyle.

We acknowledge our history, too. Doctors at Hartford Hospital, now part of the Heart & Vascular Institute, in 1984 became the first Connecticut hospital to perform a successful heart transplant. Since then, we’ve performed more than 250 heart transplants.


Request an Appointment

Call 833.444.0014 to request an appointment with a cardiac surgeon at the Heart & Vascular Institute. Ask your doctor for a referral before you call.

HHC Cardiac Surgery BookletEducation is critical to helping you understand your individual heart problem and its treatment.

Your Guide to Cardiac Surgery
 

Useful information regarding your heart and heart surgery, preparing for surgery, recovery, and more.

 

Download the guideDescarga la guíaPobierz przewodnik

Cardiac Surgery at The Heart & Vascular Institute


Meet our Cardiac Surgeons:

Name Specialties Location
Pousatis, Sheelagh, MD Pousatis, Sheelagh, MD
4.9 /5
82 surveys
860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Ali, Ayyaz, MD, PhD Ali, Ayyaz, MD, PhD
4.8 /5
61 surveys
860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Cheema, Mohiuddin, MD Cheema, Mohiuddin, MD
4.9 /5
188 surveys
860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Vascular Surgery
Show Less
  • Hartford
Hashim, Sabet W., MD, FACS Hashim, Sabet W., MD, FACS
5.0 /5
160 surveys
860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
  • Bridgeport
Show Less
Hagberg, Robert Carl, MD Hagberg, Robert Carl, MD
4.9 /5
186 surveys
860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Hammond, Jonathan Acton, MD Hammond, Jonathan Acton, MD
4.9 /5
85 surveys
860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Fusco, Daniel Stephen, MD Fusco, Daniel Stephen, MD
5.0 /5
87 surveys
203.576.5708
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Bridgeport
  • Hartford
Show Less
Squitieri, Rafael Paolo, MD Squitieri, Rafael Paolo, MD
4.9 /5
204 surveys
203.576.5708
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Bridgeport
Yaffee, David, MD Yaffee, David, MD
4.9 /5
135 surveys
860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Cardiothoracic Surgery
Show Less
  • Hartford
Al Rameni, Dina, MD Al Rameni, Dina, MD 860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford

Meet our Advanced Practitioners and Physicians Assistants:

Name Specialties Location
Panetta, Andrew David, PA-C Panetta, Andrew David, PA-C 860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Russell, Jessica, APRN Russell, Jessica, APRN 203.576.5708
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Bridgeport
Reso, Jessica, PA-C Reso, Jessica, PA-C 860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Asseo, Corrie, PA-C Asseo, Corrie, PA-C 203.576.5708
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Bridgeport
Putnam, Danielle, PA-C Putnam, Danielle, PA-C 860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Iapaluccio, Benjamin, PA-C Iapaluccio, Benjamin, PA-C 860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Zaza, Samantha, PA-C Zaza, Samantha, PA-C 860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Mucci, Benjamin, PA-C Mucci, Benjamin, PA-C 860.524.3070
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Combs, Caroline, PA-C Combs, Caroline, PA-C 860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Ficara, Robert J., PA-C Ficara, Robert J., PA-C 860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Klopfer, Vanessa I., PA-C Klopfer, Vanessa I., PA-C 860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
Phillips, Theresa C., PA-C Phillips, Theresa C., PA-C 860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford
McClement, Marissa, PA-C McClement, Marissa, PA-C 860.696.5520
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Hartford

Our Cardiac Surgery Locations: