Home Locations UCHealth Cardiac Surgery - Memorial Hospital Central

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Hours
Monday: 8am – 4:30pm
Tuesday: 8am – 4:30pm
Wednesday: 8am – 4:30pm
Thursday: 8am – 4:30pm
Friday: 8am – 4pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
Your team
Peter Walinsky, MD
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Surgery - Adult Cardiac Surgery

Paula Johnson, DNP
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Surgery - Adult Cardiac Surgery

Mary Jo Byron, PA-C
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Surgery - Adult Cardiac Surgery

James Burnett, PA-C
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Surgery - Adult Cardiac Surgery

Kevin Shortt, MD
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Surgery - Adult Cardiac Surgery

Our cardiothoracic specialists bring decades of experience to southern Colorado. They deliver world-class care to patients who need highly-skilled, leading-edge surgical treatment. With nearly 4,000 cases performed and an overall operative mortality under two percent, you can trust that you are in skilled hands.

Our program pairs expert surgeons with a team of well-trained cardiac professionals who work together to care for you before, during and after surgery. Our surgical experience also allows us to provide patients with a full spectrum of care for elective and emergency procedures. The breadth of our program allows us to effectively collaborate and sub-specialize in new procedures and emerging technologies.

Cardiac surgical specialties

Service spotlight: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)

The TAVR procedure

Dr. Peter Walinsky, at right, leads our TAVR team.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a cutting-edge, minimally-invasive procedure that replaces damaged aortic valves in patients who are at high risk for open-heart surgery. The TAVR procedure is less invasive than traditional open-heart surgery, as your surgeon places a new valve within the native, diseased aortic valve through a catheter.

Our heart experts have performed more than 200 TAVR procedures. This expertise results in a lower hospital length of stay and complication rates that are below the national average.