Cardiothoracic Surgery
Mission Statement
The Cardiothoracic Surgery Service at Naval Medical Center San Diego offers state-of-the-art surgical procedures for the comprehensive treatment of chest diseases for active and retired members of the military and their families.
Surgeons Alfredo Ramirez, MD, Theodore Pratt, MD, and Joshua Kindelan, MD, lead several large multi-specialty teams dedicated to the treatment of diseases affecting specific body organ systems.
We are proud to offer a one-call service to answer any questions about thoracic, cardiovascular, or esophageal disease. Call (619) 532-9140 to get answers from our clinic staff and physicians.
Overview of Services
Cardiothoracic surgery is a comprehensive specialty treating diseases of the chest, including cardiac, lung, or esophageal disease. At Naval Medical Center San Diego, our surgeons collaborate on a daily basis with the non-surgical physicians specializing in diseases of the chest.
For the treatment of heart disease, we have employed a Heart Team approach since 1987. According to the Heart Team concept, a multidisciplinary team of cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, and radiologists reviews each patient’s case to determine the optimal approach to treating that unique person’s cardiac disease. This approach has recently been given the highest level of recommendation by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology for adoption as the nationwide standard.
Our Center for Aortic Disease is a systematic program involving multiple medical specialists dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening aortic disease. . The foundation of this Center is our world-class aortic radiographic imaging capabilities Long-term surveillance and treatment is provided by our vascular surgeons, interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and cardiovascular radiologists. Treatment options include open and minimally invasive aortic valve repair or replacement, and surgical or stent replacement of the thoracic or abdominal aorta.
We offer a robust screening program for lung cancer backed up by a multi-disciplinary team of pulmonologists, oncologists , thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologist, and pathologists. The individualized diagnostic evaluation or treatment of patients with lung nodules or lung cancer is thoroughly discussed by this team to ensure excellence in their evaluation and treatment.
Some of the cutting-edge procedures we perform are valve-sparing aortic root replacement, minimally-invasive aortic valve replacement, complex mitral valve repair, atrial fibrillation (AFib) surgery, aortic stenting, minimally-invasive lobectomy for lung cancer, and minimally-invasive surgery for achalasia and hiatal hernias.
For more information on cardiothoracic surgery services, please contact 619-532-9140 to speak to a health care professional.