TGH Brooksville Performs First Cardiothoracic Surgery, Expanding Access to Advanced Heart Care in Hernando County

This milestone brings complex cardiothoracic surgical care closer to home for patients in Hernando County and surrounding communities, backed by the expertise and resources of Tampa General's academic health system.

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Brooksville has reached a significant clinical milestone with the successful completion of its first cardiothoracic surgical procedure, expanding access to advanced heart care for patients in Hernando County and surrounding communities. The inaugural procedure included a single-vessel coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), mitral valve repair and atrial appendage clipping.

The launch of cardiothoracic surgery at TGH Brooksville represents the latest advancement in Tampa General's ongoing efforts to expand access to academic medicine across the communities it serves. By bringing this advanced surgical capability to Brooksville, patients with complex cardiovascular conditions can now access a broader range of specialized care closer to home while benefiting from the clinical expertise, resources and coordinated care of Tampa General, Florida's premier academic health system.

"This is the power being backed by an academic health system; it allows us to transform care for the communities we serve," said Stacey Brandt, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Florida Health Sciences Center | Tampa General and president of the TGH Community and Specialty Hospital Division. "We are taking the expertise, clinical excellence and resources available across the Tampa General Academic Health System and, through our partnership with USF Health, extending those capabilities to patients across our growing network. For patients in Hernando County, that means greater access to highly specialized cardiovascular care, closer to their families and in their own community."

Establishing cardiothoracic surgery at TGH Brooksville was a collaborative effort that brought together physicians, clinical teams and leaders from TGH Brooksville and TGH Spring Hill, alongside the expertise and support of Tampa General's academic medical center on Davis Islands and USF Health. The program was built through close partnership with members of the local medical staff and community providers whose commitment to expanding access to advanced cardiac care helped make this milestone possible. The effort was led by Benjamin Mackie, MD, vice president and co-chief of TGH Heart & Vascular Institute (HVI), medical director of HVI Heart Failure Center of Excellence and medical director of Heart Transplantation; Lucian Lozonschi, MD, director and chief of cardiothoracic surgery at TGH and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine; and Charan Mungara, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon who joined the team to help establish and lead the program at TGH Brooksville. Additionally, the effort was supported by Julie Lallanilla, RN, MBA, CVRN, cardiovascular services market director for TGH Brooksville and TGH Spring Hill, who helped ensure the hospital, the care team and the necessary infrastructure were prepared to launch the new surgical capability.

"Bringing cardiothoracic surgery to TGH Brooksville required an extraordinary level of collaboration across our academic health system," said Bobby Ginn, Jr., senior vice president and president of TGH Brooksville and TGH Spring Hill. "This achievement is a testament to our team's commitment and to what we can accomplish when we bring together the strength of our local teams with the expertise and resources available across Tampa General and USF Health. Most importantly, it means patients in Hernando County have access to even more advanced cardiovascular care right here in Brooksville."

Through Tampa General's longstanding partnership with USF Health, cardiothoracic surgery patients have access to university-based expertise, research-driven surgical techniques, leading-edge technologies and evidence-based care for complex heart and lung conditions. The cardiothoracic surgery program provides advanced surgical care for conditions affecting the heart, lungs and chest, including coronary artery disease, heart valve disease and complex aortic conditions.

"This first procedure represents an important step in building a comprehensive cardiothoracic surgery program for this community," said Mungara. "Patients with complex cardiovascular disease benefit from a multidisciplinary approach that brings together surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, nurses, critical care specialists and many other members of the care team. At TGH Brooksville, we can combine that coordinated approach with the expertise of an academic health system, expanding access to advanced surgical care while allowing more patients to receive that care closer to home."

This first cardiothoracic surgery at TGH Brooksville builds upon Tampa General's continued expansion of cardiovascular services in Hernando County through the TGH HVI. In May 2025, TGH Brooksville opened dedicated cardiac rehabilitation services, providing patients with access to medically supervised rehabilitation and support as they recover from cardiac events and procedures. In July 2025, the hospital further expanded its cardiovascular capabilities with the opening of an advanced heart failure clinic, bringing specialized care and disease management closer to patients living with complex heart failure.

With the launch of complex cardiothoracic surgery at TGH Brooksville, Tampa General continues to build upon that commitment, bringing more sophisticated specialty care into the community while connecting patients across the region to the expertise of the TGH and USF Health network.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, Florida's premier academic health system, is a 1,530-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning Florida. As the only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care center serving 23 counties, Tampa General delivers world-class care. The system's hospitals include Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Tampa General Behavioral Health Hospital, all in Tampa; Tampa General Brooksville, Tampa General Spring Hill and Tampa General Crystal River. Tampa General is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report's 2026-2027 Best Hospitals for 11 consecutive years, with five medical specialties ranking among the top 50, two additional medical specialties ranked among the top 100 best hospital programs and two specialties ranked in the top 10% in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, the academic health system has elevated its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. Tampa General's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by four prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2026 America's Best Large Employers ranked as the Tampa Bay region's #1 employer in the healthcare category for the sixth year in a row, the 2026 America's Best Employers for Company Culture, in the top 100 for the 2026 American's Best Employers for New Grads and the 2026 America's Best Employers for Women.

Tampa General is the area's safety-net hospital, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2024, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $289.1 million in the form of healthcare for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is recognized as one of the leading adult solid organ transplant centers in the nation and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General transports critically injured or ill patients from surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General has a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It is home to the Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General's footprint includes TGH North, which consists of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties; Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices; TGH Family Care Center Kennedy; TGH outpatient centers; TGH Virtual Health; and TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care, powered by the Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

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SOURCE Tampa General Hospital