Gianluca Torregrossa, MD

Gianluca Torregrossa, MD

I am a cardiac surgeon at Lankenau Heart Institute. I treat coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is a major cause of death and suffering, and I am dedicated to restoring health and quality of life for people affected by the disease. My goal as a heart surgeon is to find the safest, most effective, and least invasive way to restore normal blood flow to a heart badly affected by CAD. I specialize in advanced forms of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. During CABG, a "bypass" is created around a blocked heart vessel using a blood vessel moved from another part of the patient's body. When a person has several blocked vessels, CABG often is combined with stents (little scaffolds to hold a blood vessel open) in what is called a hybrid procedure. CABG surgery has advanced greatly and can now be done through very small incisions. When appropriate, a surgical robot is also used to assist with the operation. I have found that using the robot during CABG surgery helps me perform these delicate operations more precisely. I am pleased to offer patients the most advanced techniques available for treating CAD, including: Robotic CABG and robotic totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB) surgery—a highly sophisticated approach to CABG surgery using tiny incisions Hybrid revascularization (robotic CABG plus stent placement) for multivessel CAD Off-pump ("beating heart") CABG—bypass surgery done while the heart continues to beat normally My journey as a cardiac surgeon started in Italy, where I was born. When I was 17, I read a life-changing book about an Italian surgeon's humanitarian work treating Afghan children maimed by explosive devices designed to look like toys. I realized then that I wanted to be a doctor so I, too, could help people. I was accepted to a leading medical school in Italy, at University of Padua, and graduated cum laude. Midway through medical school I observed a heart transplant and at that moment knew I wanted to be a heart surgeon. After completing a cardiac surgery residency in Italy, I came to the United States and spent an additional 8 years training in advanced forms of minimally invasive cardiac surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and at University of Chicago Medicine. I joined Main Line Health in 2021 and serve as Director of Robotic Coronary Revascularization at Lankenau Heart Institute. In this role, I have the honor of pursuing my passion of minimally invasive coronary surgery in a program where more robotic CABG surgeries have been performed than anywhere else in the country.