One of the largest, most experienced cardiac and thoracic surgery teams in Egypt, our Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery has performed more than 10,000 surgeries throughout 15 years with success rates matching those of the American Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and exceeding 97%. Our surgeons offer virtually every type of cardiac surgery, including elective or emergency surgery for heart valve diseases, coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, heart failure and other less common conditions.

Our depth and breadth of experience allows us to perform complex operations, such as second or third heart bypasses and conditions previously deemed inoperable with success rates above the national average. Our staff works with the newest surgical techniques, equipment and devices, including minimally invasive surgery, off-pump bypass (Beating Heart), total arterial revascularization, valve repair, surgical AF ablation and other cutting-edge procedures.

What We Treat

It has been proven statistically that improved success rates are linked to surgical volumes; the more procedures a hospital performs are directly proportional to its success rates and clinical outcome. The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Dar Al Fouad Hospital (DAFH) has performed more than 10,000 procedures, such as the following:

Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG) Including high risk coronary artery bypass surgery
Arterial Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts
Off-Pump Bypass Surgery (Beating Heart)
Minimally Invasive Heart Surgeries
Total Arterial Revascularization
Heart Valve Surgery – Including:
Aorta and Aortic Valve Surgery
Balloon Mitral Valvotomy
Heart Valve Disease - Percutaneous Interventions
Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair
Mitral Valve Repair
Surgical treatment for Atrial Fibrillation
Surgical Procedures to Treat Heart Failure

Why choose Dar Al Fouad Hospital for Heart Care?

Our outcomes speak for themselves. The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery has performed a high volume and variety of procedures with success rates exceeding 97% by the most experiences surgeons in the country using the most advanced set of equipment and safest environment available.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is surgery possible if the coronary artery disease is very advanced?

When cholesterol deposition in your coronary artery starts early in life, especially if you have diabetes, a strong family history or very high level of lipids in blood, the narrowing in the arteries is diffuse in all parts of a given artery and generalized in the right and left Coronary artery tree.

Putting a large number of stents, especially in diabetic, carries a logic risk of re closure or re narrowing that is higher than putting one or two stents in a localized lesion in one or two locations.

At DAFH, we believe in treating patients each as an individual, and not at offering a uniform solutions for all, based only on the results of your coronary angiogram.

In complex diffuse disease of your coronary arteries, surgery is offering a more radical approach compared to other catheter based procedures.

1- Splitting open multiple lesions and carry the bridge used for bypass on the totality of the diseased artery , the so called patching of the coronary artery. This technique is providing you with a new artery wall derived from your own tissues, using an artery or a segment of leg vein.
2- Removing the occluding material under vision from the diseased artery, the so called coronary endarterectomy. This technique restore blood flow through a near normal size artery and is usually combined with patching of the coronary artery.
3- Perform additional surgical procedures in case your heart muscle has been weakened by repeated previous heart attacks. Please refer to: FAQ "Is surgery possible in a weak heart muscle?"

The heart team at DAF would discuss your individual case and advice you following the latest guidelines of major cardology society to provide you with the pro and cons of stenting or surgery. The short and long term expected results in your particular case will help you and your family to take a decision best suited for you.

The nature of the practice of cardiac surgery have been shifting to such type of disease and the DAF surgical team has a large cumulative experience in this domain.

The choice of conduit or bridge for your coronary artery bypass

When it comes to using your own blood vessels to substitute diseased coronary arteries, the team at DAFH will discuss with you the most suitable conduit for your particular situation.

Generally speaking, we might use an artery or a vein for bypassing an occlusion in your coronary artery.

1- Veins are usually removed from your lower extremity and rarely from your arm. It can be removed through small incision using a scope. It is fast to harvest which come in handy when emergency situation present. It has a life span that is less than that of an artery, usually less than 10 years.

2- Arteries are harvested from the inner aspect of your breast bone, the internal mammary, or from your forearm, the radial artery, and rarely from the abdomen, the epigastric artery. Arteries are superior to veins in term of longevity. The results of the internal mammary artery are documented for remaining well-functioning up to 20 years.

On selected situations, we offer for younger patients with good targets a complete network of arterial conduits and the team at DAFH have a vast experience using this technique.

My mitral valve needs surgery, what are my options?

As you might know, the flow of blood across the chambers of your heart is through four one way "valves ". The left side heart valve between the atrium, a chamber designed to receive oxygenated blood from your lungs. Your ventricle, the main heart pump, is named the mitral valve. For blood flow to be adequate, the mitral valve should open fully to allow the atrium to actively squeeze blood into the ventricle then close properly with no leak to let the left ventricle efficiently pump blood forward in all your body.

A narrowed valve means hampered flow of blood from the atrium and hence your lungs are not properly “unloaded" causing congestion. This is called mitral stenosis and is frequently caused by scaring of the valve "door panels" or leaflets by rheumatic fever in childhood. When the door panels do not meet as the valve is closing than the valve is leaking or you have mitral regurgitation. Again, the door panels can be restricted or shortened by scaring of rheumatic fever. Another situation is when the door panels are normal but they fail to close being pulled apart by a large annulus on which they hinge. Additionally, if your atrium has enlarged in association with mitral valve disease, the heart contractions are no longer regular, a condition called atrial fibrillation that put you at an additional risk of forming blood clots inside your heart.

The surgery for the mitral valve can be a replacement of the valve or if the damage is less extensive, especially with leaking valves with good "door panels”, the valve can be repaired.

At DAFH, our cardiac surgery team has refined all different techniques to deal with the situation you have and is offering a customized solution for your particular disease. Examples of that include surgery for females that are contemplating pregnancy, surgery in association with coronary artery bypass, and surgery to help poor left ventricular function.

As such, we will discuss with you a large array of options including:
1- Choice of procedure, repair or replacement of the valve using world standard protocols.
2- Choice of valve prosthesis, using a long lived mechanical valve or an anti-coagulation free tissue valve for our older patients.
3- Choice of surgical approach, including an aesthetically appealing mini approach.
4- Restoration of your normal heart rhythm, the Sinus Rhythm, by adding an additional Maze surgery to terminate atrial fibrillation.

Is surgery possible for a poor heart function?

A patient that had repeated heart attacks may be left with less contracting muscle in his left ventricle.

Surgery in such situations is possible to preserve the still functions parts from more damage and to make the best of the well-functioning portions of the heart pump.

Preparation for surgery is more delicate as it aims to identify patients best suited for a number of different procedures. We use a group of highly skilled team from the departments of cardiology, electrophysiology, cardiac anesthesiology , intensive care and cardiac surgery to customize care of such cases.

Surgery differs from Catheter based stents that only aim at restoring blood flow through a narrow or occluded part of the coronary artery.

In addition to that, surgery can bring to the patient additional benefits:
1- Reshape the left ventricle to its bullet shape nature by exclusion/removal of poorly contracting parts that are in fact just fibrous tissue.
2- Repair the leak in the mitral valve that is frequently present allowing all the blood to be pumped in the forward direction rendering it more efficient.
3- Restore the normal sequence of contraction of the atria thus helping in better filling of the ventricle, the so called atrial fibrillation ablation.
4- Restore the normal synchrony of the two ventricles contracting in the natural sequence, the so called re synchronization therapy.
5- Close the small sac present in the left atrium, the atrial appendage, which is frequently the location for blood clots to form.

We follow in DAFH a very transparent method of risk calculation based on the society of thoracic surgery data base to bring to the patient and his family a realistic approach to the expected outcome.

We use state of the art intra operative measurements and echocardiography to optimize patient condition and have additional tools, like counter pulsation by a balloon positioned from the thigh artery into the aorta to help support poor ventricle function.

We have provided over the last 15 years a second chance to a number of cases that were denied surgery because of the complexity of their disease.