Reston Heart Surgery Specialists

At Reston Heart Surgery Specialists, our team of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery experts provides advanced surgical procedures and lifesaving care to patients in the nation’s capital region in Northern Virginia.

We use a comprehensive heart team approach, working closely with cardiologists and other specialists to evaluate each patient’s condition, review treatment options and coordinate a care plan that supports the best possible outcome.

Our team treats common and complex heart and vascular conditions and diseases with the most advanced procedures available in:

• Coronary artery bypass surgery (on-pump and beating heart)
• Structural heart interventions (aortic valve, mitral valve, and tricuspid valve)
• Aortic surgery for aneurysm and dissection (open and endovascular)
• Minimally invasive valve repair and replacement
• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
• Advanced mechanical circulatory support

Our specialists perform surgery at Reston Hospital Center which is the only Accredited Chest Pain Center in Northern Virginia certified by the American College of Cardiology. We also offer fast-track second opinion appointments.

For more information about our cardiovascular and thoracic surgery options, please call (571) 910-7877.

Our highly skilled, expert team

Our team is led by Vahram Ornekian, MD, MS, RPVI, who serves as director of Cardiovascular Surgery at Reston Hospital Center. Vahram Ornekian, MD Dr. Ornekian leads the hospital’s heart surgery program which is the first new cardiac surgery program to launch in the region in nearly four decades. His partner Robert “Bob” Gottner, MD, FACS, FACCP, FACC, serves as medical director of cardiac surgery quality and outcomes at the hospital and brings over three decades of expertise. Together with Leslie Mbah, ACNP-BC, Eugene Williams, PA-C, and the support team at our practice, we bring advanced surgical capabilities and lifesaving care closer to home for thousands of patients.

Our practice offers patients care in several languages including English, Spanish, French, and Armenian.

Conditions we treat

Some conditions we treat include:

• Angina
• Aortic aneurysm
• Aortic arch syndrome
• Aortic disease
• Aortic dissections
• Aortic stenosis
• Aortic valve stenosis and regurgitation
• Atrial fibrillation (A-fib)
• Bicupsid aortic valve
• Cardiomyopathy
• Congenital heart defects
• Congestive heart failure
• Coronary artery disease (CAD)
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
• Endocarditis
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart structural abnormalities
• High-risk blockages
• Loeys-Dietz syndrome
• Mitral valve prolapse and regurgitation
• Mitralstenosis
• Multivessel disease
• Myocarditis
• Vascular disease

Surgeries we perform

Our team provides patients with expertise in heart procedures including:

• Coronary artery surgery (commonly called “bypass surgery)
  • Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
  • Off-pump CABG (performed on the beating heart)
  • Minimally invasive CABG through a small incision
• Valve surgery
  • Aortic valve replacement (SAVR and minimally invasive)
  • Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), without open-chest surgery
  • Mitral valve repair or replacement (minimally invasive)
  • Tricuspid valve repair or replacement
  • Pulmonary valve surgery
  • Minimally invasive valve surgery
  • Structural heart interventions
• Aortic surgery
  • Ascending aortic aneurysm repair
  • Aortic root replacement (including the Bentall and valve-sparing approaches)
  • Aortic arch replacement (with circulatory arrest when needed)
  • Aortic dissection repair
  • Endovascular aortic repair— thoracic (TEVAR) and abdominal (EVAR) stent grafts
• Arrhythmia (heart rhythm) surgery
  • Maze procedure for atrial fibrillation
  • Left atrial appendage closure or excision
• Adult congenital heart surgery
  • Atrial septal defect (ASD) Repair
  • Ventricular septal defect (VSD) repair
• Mechanical support and transplant
  • ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) cannulation
  • Percutaneous ventricular assist device insertion
  • Advanced mechanical circulatory support
• Vascular surgery
  • o Carotid endarterectomy and carotid stenting to help prevent stroke
  • Peripheral artery bypass, angioplasty, and stenting (including the lower extremities)
  • Endovascular and open aneurysm repair
  • Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) treatment
  • Treatment of varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency
  • Dialysis access procedures
• Other proceduresl
  • Pericardiectomy/pericardial window
  • Pulmonary or coronary endarterectomy

Fast-track second opinions

At Reston Heart and Surgery Specialists, we understand that decisions around surgery, especially for your heart, can be overwhelming and stressful. Our practice provides patients with fast-track second opinion appointments to ensure patients are able to be seen quickly and can feel more at ease about their decisions related to their treatment plan.

Our practice is committed to contacting patients within 24 business hours after initial contact by a patient or obtaining a referral. We then work with the patient and their providers to obtain medical records, including imaging and lab results, before a patient’s scheduled appointment to ensure a thorough review.

Patients are seen quickly to provide assessment of their condition, a review of their treatment plan, and education on treatment recommendations. Our goal is to empower patients to feel confident in their understanding about their diagnosis and decisions about their treatment plan.