OVERVIEW

Open-heart surgical procedures have been performed at Wuesthoff Hospital since April 1991. Over 3,000 open-heart operations have now been performed there. The original cardiac surgical group that started the Wuesthoff program was based out of Tampa, FL. Dr. Guillermo Sanabria joined that group in July 1992 and Dr. David Sims joined in July 1998. They both have been based at Wuesthoff Hospital since the beginning of their careers.

After separating from the Tampa group in January 2001, Dr. Sanabria and Dr. Sims formed their own independent group. They provide exclusive cardiac surgical services to Wuesthoff Hospital

Our services are provided in a timely manner.
Our specialized services include:

Sanabria & Sims, MD, PA seeks to become the recognized provider of full range cardiothoracic services for the people of Brevard County. We continually reinforce by our actions the value of quality, patient-centered care. We seek partnerships with other providers and hospitals whose vision is compatible with ours.

About our patients: We value our patients as central to everything we do. We value delivering patient care with compassion and respect. We encourage honest, two-way communication between our patients, their referring physicians, and our group. We make strides to continually improve our services to our patients. About our team: Our physicians and staff members are committed to the highest standards of quality. We take pride in working hard and serving others. Board certification of our physicians is a requirement to assure high quality care. We value the important role played by compatible hospitals and providers, and seek strong links with them and the community.		Reaching Us After-Hours: Our main office phone number is 321-433-3322 and is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. One of our physicians is on-call for emergency situations after regular office hours. Patients with routine questions or concerns should call during the regular workday. When You Need a Current Prescription Refilled or A New One: So we can provide you with the best service possible, we ask that you call between 9:00 am and 4:30 PM, Monday - Friday with any prescription refills. Please allow 48 hours for refills and have your pharmacy phone number readily available to give the receptionist or nurse. Patients needing refills for the coming weekend are asked to call no later than noon on Friday
OPEN HEART SURGERY After being referred by your cardiologist to Dr. Sanabria and Dr. Sims, you will be scheduled for a consultation to with one of the surgeons. At this time, a date will be scheduled for your surgery. Several days before your surgery you will need to have blood drawn and possible other tests such as a chest x-ray, EKG, or ultrasound. This is all performed at Wuesthoff Hospital. During your pre-op testing, you will be given a tour of the open-heart recovery units by one of our rehabilitation specialist. Many of your questions can be answered at that time. The night before your operation, you will be asked to shower with a special soap provided to you during the hospital tour. The morning of the surgery you will need to come to the hospital at 4:00 AM. You will go through the Emergency Room entrance and simply tell the person at the registration desk that you are there for open-heart surgery. You will be taken to 2 tower. There you will be shaved and asked once again to shower. You will also need to sign consent forms for the operation. Family members can accompany you throughout this time. If your surgery is scheduled as "first case" you will be taken out of the room at approximately 6:30 AM. You will be placed in the pre-holding suite where an anesthesiologist will place IV catheters and other appropriate monitoring devices. The operation will begin at 8:00 AM. Your family can remain in the Cardiac Surgery Unit waiting room. It is customary to have the operating room nurses give occasional updates to your family members in the waiting room. We respect the fact that families are anxious and we do our best to keep "you posted." After the operation, the surgeon will speak to the family. Family members may see the patient after the operation. The patient may still be unconscious on a respirator or awake but sedated (usually patients don't recall the initial family visits). Some family members like to remain in the waiting room "around the clock", some go home. We encourage you to do whatever makes you most comfortable.   POSTOPERATIVE RESTRICTIONS No lifting anything greater than 5 lbs. for the first month, and nothing greater than 10lbs. for the second and third months Do not perform any overhead work for three months. Do not perform any work that would require you to crawl on your hands and knees for three months. No one-armed activities such as golf, tennis, bowling, running a vacuum cleaner, etc. for three months. No driving for a minimum of 30 days. You will not be able to return to work for a minimum of ninety days unless approved by the physician.