Venice Regional Heart Surgeon Recognized for Heart Valve Implant Milestone
7/3/2019
(Venice, FL – 6/24/19) – Cardiovascular surgeon John Galat, M.D., who leads Venice Regional Bayfront Health’s heart program, has been recognized for conducting 700 implants of Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT heart valves since 1991. This milestone places Dr. Galat in the top 10 percent of Southwest Florida surgeons implanting the valves, according to valve manufacturer Edwards Lifesciences.
“With more than 25 years of surgical experience and as an original co-founder of Venice Regional’s heart program, Dr. Galat is uniquely qualified to lead our talented team caring for cardiovascular surgery patients at Venice Regional,” said hospital CEO Karen Fordham. “This recognition is an impressive milestone and represents the life-changing medical intervention that members of our heart team deliver every day to patients with serious heart conditions.”
For patients with certain heart conditions, replacing aortic and/or mitral pericardial valves can be life-saving and provide enhanced quality of life and longevity. At Venice Regional, heart valves can be replaced using minimally invasive surgical procedures that reduce hospital stays and accelerate recovery. The Venice Regional heart team also conducts open heart procedures, depending on the patient’s condition.
Dr. Galat is board-certified in cardiovascular surgery and has conducted thousands of procedures in his career. He co-founded Venice Regional’s heart program in 2002 and returned to Venice in 2018 after practicing in Ocala. He also helped start four other heart programs at hospitals across Florida, in addition to Venice.
“Venice Regional’s heart program is unique in the nation,” Dr. Galat said. “Our team includes a cardiac anesthesiologist who works only with our heart team, consulting with patients well before surgery, co-managing patients throughout the surgical procedure with the surgeon and perfusionist, and managing patients in intensive care after surgery. This continuity of care across the patient’s experience is one reason Venice Regional’s heart patients have consistently positive outcomes.”
Venice Regional’s heart program has earned numerous national quality awards, including the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for both Stroke and Heart Failure and U.S. News & World Report 2016-2017 Best Hospital in Heart Failure. Additionally, Venice Regional had the lowest readmission rate in South Florida for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with a Drug-Eluting Stent between 2013-2016, according to Dexur.
Volunteering his knowledge through international medical missions, Dr. Galat has helped communities establish heart surgery programs in Albania, China and Mongolia. Most recently, he assisted Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya in establishing a heart surgery program and a cardiovascular surgery residency for Kenyan nationals.
Dr. Galat received his medical degree from Ohio State University and completed residencies in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery at hospitals affiliated with Case Western University.
For more information, visit https://www.gulfcoastmedicalgroup.com/doctors-providers/galat-john-a-md-5849.
Learn more about our heart care program.
Back