​​​​​​​​​​Heart & vascular surgery

When you or someone you love needs heart or vascular surgery, you want a surgeon with the expertise you can trust. Our physicians bring leading-edge cardiovascular care to Cincinnati and around the world. It's the care you’ve come to expect from Greater Cincinnati's Heart Hospital℠—accessible where and when you need it.

As a national leader in heart and vascular surgical care, surgeons at The Christ Hospital Health Network specialize in a broad spectrum of procedures and treatments. Our multidisciplinary team of experts provides treatments for heart or vascular conditions, from traditional procedures, to minimally invasive surgeries for people who may have previously been considered too high risk for surgery.

The Christ Hospital is consistently na​med one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics—a recognition received in part for providing excellent surgical care and patient outcomes. 

Hear from our surgeons

​​Heart & vascular surgical procedures 

When you choose The Christ Hospital Health Network, rest assured your heart is in good hands. We offer unparalleled expertise in the spectrum of heart and vascular care.

Cardiothoracic Procedures include:

• Coronary artery bypass—a surgery that improves blood flow to the heart.
• Ross procedure—a procedure that removes a patient's own pulmonary valve and uses it to replace a diseased aortic valve. The pulmonary valve is then replaced with a pulmonary homograft (harvested from a donor).
• Heart valve repair—a procedure used to fix defects in heart valves.
• Heart valve replacement—a procedure that removes a damaged valve in the heart and replaces it with a new artificial valve. 
• Left Ventricular assist device (VAD)—for patients with advanced heart failure, a mechanical pump is implanted to increase the amount of blood that flows through the body.
  
• Robotic-assisted procedures - use a robotic "arm" to assist your surgeon's hands, leading to fewer side effects and quicker recovery times.
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)—a minimally invasive procedure that replaces a narrowed aortic valve that is not opening properly.
  

Through groundbreaking research taking place right here in Cincinnati, we are able to offer innovative treatment options unavailable elsewhere in the region. In addition to the procedures listed above, The Ch​rist Hospital Lindner Research Center is evaluating new treatments every day. To find current heart and vascular clinical trials for your condition, call 513-585-1777.

Our heart and vascular surgery ​team

To learn more about our heart and vascular surgical options, call 513-206-1170.

5 of of 5 Stars 145 Ratings Geoffrey A. Answini, MD Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery The Christ Hospital Physicians - Heart & Vascular Primary Location The Christ Hospital Medical Office Building 2123 Auburn Ave, Suite 201 Cincinnati, OH 45219 (513) 206-1170 39.1211546 -84.510667 Areas of Interest Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD), Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Repair, Adbominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Treatment See all View Profile View Locations (2) Practice Details Accepting New Patients

4.9 of of 5 Stars 49 Ratings Robert D. Dowling, MD Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery The Christ Hospital Physicians - Heart & Vascular Primary Location The Christ Hospital Medical Office Building 2123 Auburn Ave, Suite 201 Cincinnati, OH 45219 (513) 206-1170 39.1211546 -84.510667 Areas of Interest Heart Transplant, Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Cardiology Clinical Research (Trials), Cardiovascular Critical Care See all View Profile View Locations (1) Practice Details

4.9 of of 5 Stars 89 Ratings Jeffrey M. Griffin, MD Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery The Christ Hospital Physicians - Heart & Vascular Primary Location The Christ Hospital Medical Office Building 2123 Auburn Ave, Suite 201 Cincinnati, OH 45219 (513) 206-1170 39.1211546 -84.510667 Areas of Interest Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Heart Valve Repair, Heart Valve Replacement, Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery See all View Profile View Locations (1) Practice Details Accepting New Patients

View Video Spotlight 4.9 of of 5 Stars 132 Ratings Julian Guitron-Roig, MD Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery The Christ Hospital Physicians - Heart & Vascular Primary Location The Christ Hospital Medical Office Building 2123 Auburn Ave, Suite 201 Cincinnati, OH 45219 (513) 206-1170 39.1211546 -84.510667 Areas of Interest Lung Cancer Screening, Lung Nodules, Thoracic Lung Nodule Surgery, Achalasia See all View Profile View Locations (3) Practice Details Accepting New Patients

4.8 of of 5 Stars 100 Ratings Saad M. Hasan, MD Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery The Christ Hospital Physicians - Heart & Vascular Primary Location The Christ Hospital Medical Office Building 2123 Auburn Ave, Suite 201 Cincinnati, OH 45219 (513) 206-1170 39.1211546 -84.510667 Areas of Interest Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Robotic-assisted CABG, Heart Valve Repair, Heart Valve Replacement See all View Profile View Locations (2) Practice Details Accepting New Patients

View Video Spotlight Michael J. Javorski, MD Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery The Christ Hospital Physicians - Heart & Vascular Primary Location The Christ Hospital Medical Office Building 2123 Auburn Ave, Suite 201 Cincinnati, OH 45219 (513) 206-1170 39.1211546 -84.510667 Areas of Interest Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Heart Transplant, Heart Valve Repair, Heart Valve Replacement See all View Profile View Locations (1) Practice Details Accepting New Patients

4.9 of of 5 Stars 135 Ratings J. Michael Smith, MD Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery The Christ Hospital Physicians - Heart & Vascular Primary Location The Christ Hospital Medical Office Building 2123 Auburn Ave, Suite 201 Cincinnati, OH 45219 (513) 206-1170 39.1211546 -84.510667 Areas of Interest Robotic-Assisted Surgery, Surgery for Atrial Fibrillation and IST (Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia), Mitral and Aortic Valve Repair, Ross Procedure See all View Profile View Locations (1) Practice Details Accepting New Patients

​​