From Semper Fi to strong hearts: Two Marines, one life-saving heart surgery at St. Luke’s Health - The Woodlands Hospital

THE WOODLANDS, TX – With approximately 16 million veterans across the United States, and nearly 300,000 in the local area alone, the need for specialized care is significant.

In its ongoing commitment to provide exceptional cardiovascular care to our nation's veterans, St. Luke's Health - The Woodlands Hospital recently performed next-generation level operations on two former U.S. Marines, who both received life-saving robotic CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft) surgery at the hospital.

Gunnery Sergeant (Ret.) Russell Bohn, of Spring, underwent the procedure after experiencing breathing and fatigue difficulties while working at the VA Hospital in Houston. Retired Marine and retired accountant Kenneth Huebel, aged 78 and a resident of Shenandoah, also was operated on after a series of blood pressure spikes and breathing issues. Both men had been found to have substantial coronary blockages.

Bohn and Huebel both received a robotic CABG (pronounced ‘cabbage’), which stands for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. This type of surgery used to improve blood flow to the heart, often referred to as bypass surgery aimed at reducing a blockage or reduction in blood flow to the heart. The crack team at St. Luke’s is the only group of cardiovascular surgeons in North Houston doing such procedures with a robot. The team of experts includes Dr. Vivek Patel, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Dr. Shareez Peerbhai, Interventional Cardiologist, and Dr. Kedarnath Vaidya, Interventional Cardiologist.

St. Luke’s Health - The Woodlands Hospital has several preferred providers for Community Care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), so that veterans can be directly referred to these providers for key medical coverage they need. Community Care allows veterans to access care faster and closer to home versus having to travel to a point of care site which may cause greater burden.