20 Years Of Heart Surgery

In June 2001, the first open-heart surgery took place at AnMed. Dr. Barry Davis performed the surgery on Bertie Lewis, who had a hole between the two upper chambers of her heart. Dr. Scott Kabas performed the second open-heart surgery. He did bypass surgery on a patient with blocked arteries due to coronary artery disease.

Drs. Davis and Kabas ushered in a new era at AnMed. They had worked together as young surgeons in Greenville, South Carolina, for about six years before getting the offer to come to AnMed.

"We were confident with getting the whole team assembled. We had good results in our early career, and we felt confident in bringing good surgery to Anderson," Dr. Kabas said.

Surgeons have performed 4,376 open-heart procedures at AnMed, but today's trend has shifted to non-invasive techniques. Dr. Kabas said he supports what is best for the patient.

"Despite the decreasing case volume, we have excellent quality and mortality data. Patients get good care here. We have a close knit, solid team," Dr. Kabas said.

Today, AnMed's heart services operate as part of the Heart and Vascular Center, which offers a comprehensive array of medical, surgical and minimally invasive responses to cardiovascular conditions. The skillful hands of Drs. Davis and Kabas performed the innovative surgery that successfully laid the foundation for all the others. Both are board-certified, specializing in cardiovascular disease and thoracic surgery.

Dr. Kabas graduated from the Duke University School of Medicine. He completed a residency and fellowship at the Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Davis graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina, also completing a residency and fellowship there. The team now includes Dr. Sachin Shah, a board-certified specialist in cardio-vascular disease and thoracic surgery.

While Drs. Kabas and Davis were instrumental in launching the open-heart surgery program in June 2001, their colleagues have contributed in equally impressive ways over the last two decades. The cardiac surgery program offers coronary bypass grafting, heart valve replacement, thoracic procedures and, in 2017, began the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) program, which is a less invasive treatment for severe aortic stenosis. AnMed cardiac surgeons and cardiologists have performed more than 163 TAVR cases.

The American College of Cardiology recently recognized AnMed nation-ally for its commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients. AnMed is one of only 212 hospitals nationwide to receive the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) Chest Pain — MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2021.

"In addition to the remarkable accomplishments of our providers in treating open-heart surgery and other cardiac conditions over the last 20 years, we are delighted to be among the nation's top-performing hospitals for caring for heart attack patients today," said Assistant Vice President of AnMed Cardiovascular Services Mark Joczik.