Dr. Robert Binford

I have a BS and MS in aerospace engineering which gives me a unique perspective to medicine. I attended medical school at Southwestern School of Medicine in Dallas, TX. My general surgery residency was at Indiana University in Indianapolis. I completed my training at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. I practiced for about 9 years in Nashville, TN before moving to the Seattle area. My clinical interests are in adult heart disease and primarily valvular heart disease. I am aggressive in trying to repair valves especially the mitral valve. I have also had a lot of experience in atrial fibrillation surgery and use the Maze procedure in both a minimally invasive approach as well as the classic full Maze procedure. It is important to use the right method for the right patient. Probably because of my engineering background I have an added interest in new technologies and procedures. I helped start the first successful robotic heart surgery program in TN and participated in the training of robotic heart surgeon from all over the world. My preferred method to valve surgery is a minimally invasive approach. I tell my patients that my first goal is to do a good job and take care of their problem. My second goal is to do it as "sexy" as I can, but I will give up sexy in a second to make sure I do a good job. Finally, I believe what makes a good surgeon is not only knowledge and technical skill but also the ability to listen and communicate to the patient. Heart surgery is stressful enough, there is no need to add to it because the surgeon and patient are not on the same page.