Cardiac and Thoracic Surgical Unit
The Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery Unit at Flinders Medical Centre provides surgical management of a variety of different cardiovascular and thoracic conditions including:
- ischaemic heart disease;
- valvular disease (both valve replacement and repair, including for rheumatic heart disease);
- aortic disease (including valve-sparing aortic surgery);
- adult congenital heart conditions;
- some paediatric procedures (at Women's and Children's Hospital); and
- both benign and malignant lung and other chest diseases.
CTSU has particular expertise in cardiac surgery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients with more than 100 Northern Territory patients being seen each year.
We service the southern region of Adelaide, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Darwin and many country centres.
In collaboration with Interventional Cardiology, CTSU is also a leader in trans catheter valve procedures (TAVI's). In addition, CTSU is the referral centre for South Australia and the Northern Territory for extraction of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defribillator devices in the event of complications.
CTSU has a research team lead by Associate Professor Rob Baker, and strong links with Flinders University. The research team is widely recognised for its commitment to high quality evidence based practice in cardiac surgery and extracorpreal technology (cardiopulmonary bypass).