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O'Connor Hospital

Cardiac Care

As one of the first facilities to provide open heart surgery in the Santa Clara Valley, O’Connor Hospital has been a leader in heart care since the 1970s. More recently, we received designation as a Blue Distinction® Center for Cardiac Care from Blue Cross and Blue Shield. This recognition means that our cardiac unit provides prompt, safe and effective lifesaving care and excellent patient outcomes.

At O’Connor, you also benefit from:

  • A team of experts with extensive experience: Our cardiac surgeons are equally adept at both minimally invasive and open heart procedures, always choosing the treatment option that offers you the best outcome.
  • Expert care 24/7: We have cardiac surgeons ready to operate 24/7. Learn more about our Emergency Department.
  • Dedicated cardiac operating suites: Our highly trained surgeons and support staff operate in our private suites, equipped with the latest technology.
  • Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation: O’Connor is one of few area hospitals to offer a dedicated, comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation facility. This facility helps you make healthy lifestyle changes and return to your active life after surgery.

Expert Multidisciplinary Care

We provide compassionate, coordinated care to ensure the best possible outcome.

Our team includes specially trained:

  • Cardiologists
  • Cardiac surgeons
  • Radiologists
  • Perfusionists (technicians who operate a heart-lung machine)
  • Anesthesiologists
  • Cardiac nurses
  • Physical therapists

Cardiac Conditions We Treat

Our experts treat all heart conditions from minor issues to the most severe, life-threatening conditions.

Some of the conditions we treat include:

  • Arrhythmia
  • Carotid stenosis
  • Stroke
  • Valvular disease
  • Heart attack
  • Coronary disease
  • Thoracic deformities
  • Cardiac tumors
  • Cardiac and aortic aneurysms

Cardiac Diagnosis and Treatment 

Whether you enter O’Connor through the emergency department complaining of chest pain or are referred by your primary care physician, we diagnose your condition quickly, using the latest diagnostic tests and equipment.

Our surgeons have extensive expertise in performing both minimally invasive and open-heart procedures. We can also easily switch from one type of procedure to the other if any complications arise. Your physician partners with you to discuss your treatment options and, together, you determine which procedure is right for you and your lifestyle.

O’Connor offers conventional diagnostic tests, such as X-rays and MRIs, as well as advanced diagnostic tests and treatment through our two catheterization and electrophysiology labs. Learn more about Diagnosis and Treatment.

Some of these treatments include:

  • Angioplasty: A technique to widen the narrowing in the artery without surgery
  • Atherectomy: A procedure to remove plaque from arteries
  • Thrombolytic infusion: Infusions of “clot-busting” medications to remove blood clots
  • Intracoronary stenting: A stent inserted into the blood vessel on a balloon catheter to improve blood flow
  • Tilt table test: Used to determine how the body responds to changes in position (like sitting to standing to lying down) while we continuously monitor symptoms, heart rate and blood pressure
  • Thrombectomy: The removal of a blood clot from the coronary arteries

Prevention and Cardiac Rehabilitation

O’Connor Hospital is one of few hospitals in the area to offer a cardiac rehabilitation program. The emphasis of the program is to provide a supportive environment to lower the risk of future problems. Physical conditioning, nutritional counseling and stress reduction are all part of the rehabilitation program.

Ours is a medically supervised 3-phase program.

  • Phase 1: A cardiac nurse visits you in the hospital and provides educational materials about your disease. The nurse also provides information on healthy lifestyle choices you can make to help you recover and prevent future problems.
  • Phase 2: After discharge from the hospital, you begin a personalized and closely monitored exercise program in our specially designed gym. We continue to work with you on healthy lifestyle choices and exercise habits.
  • Phase 3: Once Phase 2 is complete, you have the option of continuing with your exercise program under the supervision of our rehabilitation staff. There is a fee associated with Phase 3 that is not usually covered by insurance.