ST. LOUIS, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kurtis Cox, 55, calls his recent heart bypass surgery with a new hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR) procedure at Mercy Hospital St. Louis “a miracle.”

Cox was among the first patients in Missouri to undergo the new HCR procedure and was tossing his giggling 7-year-old son over his head only one month later.

An alternative to traditional open-heart surgery, HCR combines the best of traditional bypass surgery and stenting, giving certain patients with complex coronary artery disease improved outcomes and a faster recovery. Doctors at Mercy Hospital St. Louis are the only in the state to offer the innovative heart procedure and the first within Mercy.

“Before surgery, I couldn’t walk a couple hundred yards without getting winded and having to hang on and not pass out,” Cox said. “I could feel the improvement immediately after surgery.”

Unlike conventional open-heart surgery, which requires a full sternotomy and weeks of recovery, cardiothoracic surgeons perform HCR using a robotically assisted, minimally invasive approach to connect the left internal mammary artery to the left anterior descending artery – the most critical vessel for heart function. Additional blockages are treated with stents by Mercy’s interventional cardiology team.

“Hybrid coronary revascularization gives select patients the best of both worlds – durable protection for the most important artery and a quicker return to everyday life,” said Dr. Parth Patel, cardiothoracic surgeon at Mercy St. Louis. “We’re proud to be the only program in Missouri offering this advanced, team-based approach.”

Benefits of HCR include:

• Faster recovery: Patients can resume normal activities, including driving, within two weeks.
• Lower risk: Results include reduced chances of stroke, blood transfusions and complications.
• Less pain: Many patients require little to no narcotic pain medication.
• Durability: The procedure offers long-term benefits of an arterial bypass for the left anterior descending artery combined with the flexibility of stenting for other arteries.

Cox faced significant personal and professional challenges that made a potentially lengthy recovery impossible. He greatly appreciated his shorter recovery time.

“I knew from the moment I met Dr. Patel I was in the right hands,” Cox said. “Not only did he save my life, I was able to get home in just a few days and back to my son and normal routine within weeks.”

For more information about Hybrid Coronary Revascularization at Mercy, visit mercy.net or call 314-251-6970.

Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation’s largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 55 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 caregivers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.

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SOURCE Mercy