Advocate Heart Institute at Advocate Christ Medical Center

When you choose Advocate Christ for cardiac care, you will be treated by a nationally recognized team of professionals with access to nearly every diagnostic and therapeutic tool available in the fight against heart disease. That's why so many other physicians and hospitals refer their patients to Advocate Christ for cardiac care. Here are a few more reasons:

• We perform more open heart surgeries annually than any hospital in Illinois. Studies have linked the best possible patient outcomes to high-volume hospitals like ours.
• Our Heart Transplant Program includes one of the nation’s leading ventricular assist device (VAD / LVAD) programs, offering bridge to transplant therapy and destination therapy for patients who are not transplant candidates.
• We are recognized by Becker's Hospital Review: 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Heart Programs. Inclusion is based on recognition for clinical excellence for certain procedures, such as heart bypass and valve surgeries, and treatment of heart failure and heart attack patients.
• In the 2018-2019 U.S. News ‘Best Hospitals’ issue, Advocate Christ tied for fourth overall ‘Best Hospital’ in the state of Illinois and in the Chicago Metro Area. Physicians and staff were cited as being “high performers” in cardiology and heart surgery.
• Our comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program is nationally certified by the American Association of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
• Since 2016, we have operated a dedicated Cardiovascular Thoracic ICU and Step Down unit (on the eighth floor of the East Tower).
  • Step down beds are designed for patients who do not need the level of care found in an ICU, but are not ready for a traditional medical bed.
  • Some patients will be admitted to a step down bed without having first been in an ICU room. This includes heart patients who are candidates for VADs / LVADs and for TAVR, a type of valve replacement surgery.

The Advocate Heart Institute at Advocate Christ is devoted entirely to cardiovascular health, and offers a full range of treatments and programs, from prevention and diagnostics to clinical trials and transplants.

Conditions we treat

Treatments & services

Our cardiology program's excellent reputation is built by our surgeons, physicians, nurses and staff. Here are a few of their notable achievements:

• Our physicians represent the first team in the United States to implant a HeartMate II® ventricular assist device (VAD) for destination therapy, offering another option to patients with advanced stage heart failure who do not respond to conventional therapy.
• We feature the first team in Illinois to perform robotic mitral valve repair surgery.
• Our doctors help to write national guidelines for heart care and routinely publish in prestigious medical journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine.
• Our heart transplant program is one of the busiest in the Midwest, more than 1,300 open heart surgeries are performed each year.
• We have more experience treating coronary artery disease than any hospital in Illinois.

From valvular heart disease to arrhythmias to congestive heart failure, Advocate Christ offers the experience, technologies and treatments you can count on for outstanding cardiovascular care.