Sarasota Memorial achieves heart surgery milestone

Sarasota Memorial achieves heart surgery milestone

Marking a significant medical milestone, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System recently performed its 1,000th minimally invasive cardiac surgery. The procedure, performed by Dr. Jonathan Hoffberger of First Physicians Group, repairs or replaces heart valves through a small incision between the ribs.Many surgeons may now perform open heart surgeries through 2- to 3-inch incisions between the ribs rather than a sternotomy, which requires a 12- to 1…