Editorial

HEART PROGRAMS AT CAPE GIRARDEAU'S HOSPITALS HAVE EARNED TRUST, RESPECT FROM PATIENTS

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Both Cape Girardeau hospitals serve hundreds of area residents each year with heart surgery programs. The good news is both St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital match or exceed national success rates for heart patients.

Both hospitals use the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' national database to analyze their programs. This comparison underscores the fact both programs are consistently performing above national averages.

Top-notch technology, skilled surgeons and state-of-the art technology are the reasons why so many people choose Cape Girardeau for heart surgeries. Only about 5 to 10 percent of the area's heart patients go to St. Louis or Memphis for surgery, compared to about 20 percent just a few years ago.

All types of heart surgery are available here except transplants. The most common surgery is coronary artery bypass surgery.

It is good to know this kind of highly specialized surgery can be done well closer to home. That's a benefit not only for the patients, but for their families. The continued success of these programs is a credit both hospitals, the doctors and their staffs.