Brittany Anne Zwischenberger, MD
Heart Surgeon
My Locations
About Me
I am enthusiastic about heart disease and the variety of surgical options currently available. At Duke Health, I am able to work closely with other heart doctors to treat complicated coronary artery disease and valve disease, particularly in patients with other co-morbidities. I perform minimally-invasive heart surgeries for revascularization (improve blood flow to the heart), valve disease (narrowed or leaky valves), and atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm). I also use robotic technology to perform a single-vessel CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting). I live in Durham with my husband and two children.
- Associate Professor of Surgery, Surgery, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery 2024
Call for an Appointment
Areas of Expertise
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Heart Bypass Surgery
- Heart Valve Disease
- Heart Valve Surgery
- Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)
Ratings and Reviews
The ratings and reviews are based on patient responses to the overall provider rating question from the survey. The question reads: “Using any number from 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst provider possible and 10 is the best provider possible, what number would you use to rate this provider?” Responses are converted to a 5-point rating system and applied consistently to all providers. Learn more about our survey process. Patients who see some types of providers receive a different version of the patient satisfaction survey. Those results are not available on DukeHealth.org.
Training and Education
In the News
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Clinical Focus and Research
My research interests include coronary vascular disease and valve disease. I study large datasets of cardiac surgical patients at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) to improve our understanding and treatment of such diseases. I am particularly interested in coronary vascular disease and valve disease in women, which is notoriously underdiagnosed.
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CTSN PACES (A-Fib)IRB# PRO00103761 , NCT# NCT04045665
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ROMA Women (Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery)IRB# PRO00112608
- Iribarne, Alexander, Brittany Zwischenberger, J. Hunter Mehaffey, Tsuyoshi Kaneko, Moritz C. Wyler von Ballmoos, Jeffrey P. Jacobs, Carole Krohn, et al. “The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database: 2024 Update on National Trends and Outcomes.” The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, March 2025, S0003-4975(25)00221-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2025.03.011.
- Hunter Mehaffey, J., Raymond Strobel, Benjamin Kramer, Patrick T. O’Gara, Michael J. Mack, Nirav C. Patel, Brittany A. Zwischenberger, et al. “Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network Update.” Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, February 25, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.semtcvs.2024.12.004.
- Chesdachai, Supavit, Larry M. Baddour, Hussam Tabaja, Malini Madhavan, Nandan Anavekar, Brittany A. Zwischenberger, Paola Anna Erba, and Daniel C. DeSimone. “State-of-the-Art Review: Complexities in Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Infections: A Contemporary Practical Approach.” Clin Infect Dis 80, no. 1 (February 5, 2025): e1–15. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciae453.
- Zwischenberger, B. A., J. E. Lynch, and J. B. Zwischenberger. “Mechanical support of the failing lung (respiratory assist devices).” In Cardiothoracic Surgery Review, 1242–44, 2012.
- Zwischenberger, Brittany A., Carmelo Milano, John Haney, Jeffrey G. Gaca, Jacob Schroder, Keith Carr, and Donald D. Glower. “Durability of porcine and pericardial prostheses in tricuspid valve replacement.” In JTCVS Open, 21:78–87, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjon.2024.06.017.
- Williams, Adam R., Mary E. Moya-Mendez, Sachin Mehta, Andrew Vekstein, J Kevin Harrison, Carmelo A. Milano, Ryan P. Plichta, et al. “Infarct exclusion repair of postmyocardial infarction ventricular septal rupture with a hybrid patch and septal occluder device compared with patch only.” In JTCVS Tech, 22:228–36, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjtc.2023.07.022.
- Seese, Laura, Edward P. Chen, Vinay Badhwar, Dylan Thibault, Robert H. Habib, Jeffrey P. Jacobs, Vinod Thourani, et al. “Optimal circulatory arrest temperature for aortic hemiarch replacement with antegrade brain perfusion.” In The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 165:1759-1770.e3, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.09.068.
Insurance Accepted
Duke Health contracts with most major health insurance carriers and transplant networks, including the ones listed below.
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Aetna
- Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II
- Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice
- Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option
- Aetna HMO
- Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO
- Aetna Managed Choice POS
- Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP)
- Aetna Medicare Eagle Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Essential Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO)
- Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice
- Aetna Open Choice PPO
- Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS)
- Aetna Select HMO
- Aetna Traditional Choice
- Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan
- Aetna Whole Health – Duke WakeMed WKCC
- Aetna/CVS Health
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Ambetter
- Ambetter of North Carolina
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
- Blue Advantage
- Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*
- Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA)
- Blue Select
- NC State Employees Health Plan
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan.
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Cigna
- Cigna Behavioral Health (*Limited eligibility)
- Cigna Choice Plus
- Cigna Connect Individual Family Plan
- Cigna Open Access
- Cigna Open Access Plus
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*Please call Cigna Behavioral Heath to see if the provider is participating in your plan.
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Duke Group Plans
- Duke Basic
- Duke Select
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Experience Health
- Experience Health Medicare Advantage (HMO) Plan
- Gateway Health Alliance
- Healthgram
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Humana
- Humana Choice (PPO)
- Humana Choice - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana ChoiceCare - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana Gold Choice - Medicare Advantage (PFFS)
- Humana Gold Plus - Medicare Advantage (HMO)
- Humana Medicare Advantage Group Plan - NC State Retirees
- MedCost
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Medicare
- First Medicare Direct
- Medicare Part A
- Medicare Part B
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NC Medicaid
- AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina
- Carolina Complete Health
- Healthy Blue
- NC Medicaid Direct
- WellCare of North Carolina
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TRICARE
- TRICARE Prime
- TRICARE Prime Remote
- TRICARE Select
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United Healthcare
- AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 2 (HMO-POS)
- AARP Medicare Complete (HMO, PPO)*
- AARP Medicare Complete Essential (HMO)*
- All Savers Alternate Funding
- All Savers Fully Insured
- United Healthcare (HMO, PPO, POS)**
- United Healthcare Charter/Charter Balance/Charter Plus
- United Healthcare Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Core/Core Essential
- United Healthcare Navigate/Navigate Plus/Navigate Balanced
- United Healthcare Option PPO
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Options PPO
- United Healthcare Select/Select Plus
- United Healthcare Shared Services - Harvard Pilgrim/UHC Options PPO Network
- United Medical Resources (UMR)
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan.
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**Duke Health does not participate in UHC plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Before scheduling your appointment, we strongly recommend you contact your insurance company to verify that the Duke Health location or provider you plan to visit is included in your network. Your insurance company will also be able to inform you of any co-payments, co–insurances, or deductibles that will be your responsibility. If you proceed in scheduling an appointment and your health insurance benefits do not participate with Duke, your out of pocket liability may be higher. We will contact you regarding your coverage and patient liability. If you are uninsured, learn more about our financial assistance policy.