Director
Tatsuhiko Komiya

The Department of Cardiovascular Surgery was first established at this hospital in 1980. We actively perform heart and vascular surgery to all patients, ranging from newborns to the elderly. Our treatment demographic is mainly based in the western part of Okayama; however we also treat patients over a wide area, from the Sanin district to the north, to Shikoku situated to the south. We have a 24 hour system in place for emergency surgery and have achieved a capacity where are able to save severe patients in large volumes. For conditions such as ischemic heart disease and valvular heart disease, we work in close collaboration with the Department of Cardiology, proudly delivering top-class treatment for the region. We are also active in training abroad to further improve our clinical outcomes and to keep up with the latest medical advancements, with three members of our team having received clinical training in the USA, France and Australia.

Our Heart Disease Centre opened in July, 2005, with all aspects of treatment being incorporated into a single building. This includes outpatient appointments, testing, angiography, the Coronary Care Unit (CCU), surgical facilities, inpatient ward facilities and emergency diagnosis. This enables us to perform rapid treatment without the loss of time occurring from patient transfer between Emergency and Critical Care Center, angiography facilities, the CCU and surgical facilities.

Over the last few years, we have seen some remarkable innovations in coronary surgical techniques, with our department being proactive in adopting these techniques. Since 1999, we have been performing off-pump coronary artery bypass. We also have been working with valvuloplasty from an early stage, with cases of mitral value repair surgery for mitral regurgitation overtaking those of valve replacement surgery in 1995. Valvuloplasty has been successful in over 95% of cases with degenerative disease since the year 2000. For aortic valvuloplasty, we have performed valvuloplasty of the bicuspid value for a total of 75 times since it was initially performed in 2001. We have also been performing left ventricular restoration for heart failure since 1998.

From 2007 onwards we started performing stent graft treatment. This rendered open surgery unnecessary in certain instances for thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm. It also provides an effective treatment for descending aortic and thoracic aortic aneurysm, which previously presented difficultly in treatment.

We have cardiologists, heart surgeons and anesthesiologists stationed at this hospital 24 hours a day, with both the surgical unit and the intensive care unit able to accept patients at all times. We also have a doctor-equipped paramedic vehicle which is capable of transporting patients over long distances throughout the region. From 1995, the addition of a helipad has allowed the prompt transfer of patients to the surgical unit.

Treatment in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery is not just the responsibility of heart surgeons. There are many professionals involved in our treatment team, including cardiologists, anesthesiologists, cardiopulmonary technologists, surgical nurses, intensive care nurses, rehabilitation therapists, clinical engineers and nutritionists. Our team ensures a safe and effective treatment environment, with a human-touch in our approach to providing patient care.

Ischemic heart disease, aortic conditions (thoracic, abdominal,) valvular heart disease, peripheral artery conditions, shunting, left ventricular dilatation, atrial fibrillation.