Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton celebrates 1,000 heart surgeries

GRAFTON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton has reached the milestone of the 1,000th cardiac surgery at the hospital since it opened in 2011.

Dr. Frank Downey, a cardiovascular surgeon, who has performed or supported the majority of the cases at the hospital, was recognized at a facility luncheon on Monday, September 17.

“We are proud to be able to have impacted the lives of 1,000 surgical cardiac patients over the years. We give credit to the hard work of our team who provides superior care to patients,” said Dr. Tedmond O’Reilly, chief medical officer of Aurora Medical Center in Grafton. “We celebrate this milestone with the community we serve every day.”

In 2017, 165 cardiac procedures were performed, including coronary artery bypass grafting, valve replacement and/or repair, ascending aortic aneurysm repair and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation placement (ECMO). In ECMO, an oxygenator is placed in the body to aid in the oxygenation of blood for patients with ventilation and oxygenation problems, often due to heart failure.

Share this article: