Our Practice
Drs. Gibson and Gomez, assisted by Joanie Heinly, have been practicing cardiovascular and thoracic surgery for over twenty years. They have been and continue to be on the surgical leading edge in Houston and the United States with minimally invasive surgical procedures and equipment from beating heart surgery to using surgical robots. The following areas of specialization offer unique treatment options for our patients.
Beating Heart Surgery
Most cardiac surgeons, when performing heart surgery, stop the patient's heart and connect the patient to a heart-lung machine. This heart-lung machine circulates and oxygenates the patient's blood during surgery.
Beating Heart Surgery allows the heart to continue beating while the surgery is performed. This surgery incorporates state-of-the-art technology of a heart-stabilizing device. The stabilizing device immobilizes a small section of the heart that needs the bypass graft while the rest of the heart muscle continues to beat and pump blood to the body. The device attaches to the heart using small suction pods that gently grip the heart to steady it while the surgeon works. The patient's heart is not stopped and the patient does not need to be connected to the heart-lung mechanical pump.
Robotic Surgery
Dr. Miguel Gomez is Houston’s leader in Robotic-assisted Cardiothoracic Surgery, performing more robotic-assisted cardiothoracic surgeries than any other surgeon in Houston using the amazing da Vinci Surgical System. Dr. Gomez also currently serves as Director of Robotic Surgery at the Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center at the Heart and Vascular Institute.
The da Vinci Surgical System is powered by state-of-the-art robotic technology. The da Vinci System enhances surgical capabilities by enabling the performance of complex surgeries through tiny surgical openings. The System cannot be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own. The da Vinci System requires that every surgical maneuver be performed with direct input from our surgeons.
The biggest benefit of Robotic-assisted cardiothoracic surgery is undoubtedly the ability to be minimally invasive. The 3D imaging system allows our surgeons to perform procedures inside a closed chest, with hand movements that parallel conventional surgery. Only a few incisions are made into the patient, ensuring a much faster recovery time. The FDA first approved the da Vinci Surgical System for assisting in cardiothoracic surgery in 1997, while approving it for the full surgery in 2000.
Robotic Surgery Can Reduce Risks
This procedure uses a state-of-the-art surgical system designed to help our surgeons to see vital anatomical structures more clearly and to perform a more precise surgical procedure. For most patients, this procedure offers dramatic benefits over traditional open-chest surgery, including:
- Shorter hospital stay
- Less pain and scarring
- Less risk of infection
- Less blood loss and fewer transfusions
- Faster recovery
- Quicker return to normal activities
Robotic-assisted cardiothoracic surgery is a new and exciting field with very few surgical experts, even in the renowned Texas Medical Center. Houston Cardiac Surgery Associates offers you the greatest robotic expertise available in Houston, as the original pioneer in the Houston area. Here are some of the robotic-assisted surgeries that Dr. Gomez can perform using the robot:
- Off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass and Single- and Multi-vessel Minithoracotomy
- ASD Closure (Atrial Septal Defect Repair)
- LVD Lead Placement (Epicardial Pacemaker Leads) [LINK to other page]
- Pericardial Windows
- Thoracic Tumor Removal (Thymectomy for Myesthemia Gravis)
- Heller Esophageal Myotomy (esophagomyotomy)
- Lung Lobectomy Surgery (Wedge resection of mass) [LINK to other page]
- Robotic-assisted Maze Surgery for Atrial Fibrillation Ablation
- Mitral Valve Repair
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms With Endovascular Approach
The aorta is the main artery from the heart to the body. An aneurysm is a weak spot that balloons out from the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can burst and cause internal bleeding, in which case there is a high risk of death and emergency surgery may be required. We now have minimally invasive techniques using an endovascular approach to repair the aneurysm by using catheters guided within the arteries eliminating the need to cut the patient open.
Carotid Endarterectomy Under Local Anesthesia
A carotid endarterectomy is a procedure in which the doctor removes a blockage in the carotid artery. The carotid arteries are the two blood vessels in the neck that bring blood to the brain. If left untreated you are at risk for having a major stroke. By performing the surgery with the patient awake (instead of under general anesthesia), we are able to better assess the patient's brain function which is critical to the success of the operation.
Lung and Esophageal Surgery
Many different diseases afflict these two organs. Houston Cardiac Surgery Associates use robotic surgery to address many of the surgical needs associated with lung and esophageal surgery, thoracic sympathectomy for hyperhydrosis, first rib resection for thoracic outlet syndrome, and surgical removal of benign and malignant tumors, ie., lung cancer, esophageal cancer, mesothelioma, thymoma and other thymic tumors, sarcoma, and germ cell tumors. This allows us to make tiny incisions for entry whereby, the patient can recover more quickly from the operation. We use all the latest technology, including lasers, and video- and computer-assisted (robotic) surgery.
Please contact us to discuss how Houston Cardiac Surgery Associates can apply their state-of-the-art cardiac and thoracic surgery procedures to benefit you. If you are considering having your heart surgery at St. Luke’s, Methodist, or Memorial Hermann, please contact us.
Our Doctors & Staff
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Dr. Gibson attended Austin College, and then Baylor College of Medicine where he completed all of his internship and residency programs and is board certified in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery.
Dr. Gibson works mainly out of Memorial Herman Heart & Vascular Institute-Memorial City. He has served on the Board of Trustees with the Memorial Herman Hospital System, as Chief of Staff of Memorial City Hospital, Department of Surgery Chairman at Memorial City Hospital and currently is the Director of Surgical Services at Memorial City. He is also the Past President of the Harris County Medical Society-Western Branch.
He enjoys bringing the best new technology and surgical skills available to his patients to improve their patient outcomes.
Dr. Miguel A. Gomez, III, M.D., F.A.C.S. Download C.V.
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Dr. Gomez is past Chairman of the Surgery Department at Memorial City Medical Center. Currently he is Director of Robotic Surgery at Memorial City Medical Center and an Associate Clinical Professor of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery with the University of Texas Health Science Center of Houston. He also participates on the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects through the University of Texas Health Science Center of Houston.
Dr. Gomez is also an active member of the healthcare business community, where he serves on the board for Memorial Hermann Health Network Providers. He is currently the 2007 President of the Harris County Medical Society-Western Branch.
Joanie Heinly, PA-C.
Joanie Heinly has been with us since May of 2003. She graduated from Texas A&M University-Galveston with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology. She later graduated with honors from UTMB-Galveston as a Physician’s Assistant.
Houston Cardiac Surgery Associates, L.L.P.