HARTFORD, Conn. -- Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford has suspended all elective heart surgery for the time being.

The decision announced Monday follows the recommendation of the state Department of Public Health, which has raised questions of quality of care.

The investigation started in late June and the hospital voluntarily suspended services starting July 2, said Diana Lejardi, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Health.

The Department's facilities licensing investigation's section is carrying out the inquiry. No information will be released about what triggered the investigation while it's ongoing, she said.

"The department is currently investigating and will conclude once it has done a thorough investigation and review of the hospital and all pertinent records and documents," Lejardi said.

The Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center touts its Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute as the "largest cardiac surgical program in Connecticut." The institute was established in 1991.

A statement from the hospital, dated Tuesday, says the DPH recommended the suspension to provide time to review the maintenance records of heart-lung profusion machines in the operating room. It also says the suspended surgeries will allow operating room staff to get more training on policies, procedures and emergency measures.

Tina Varona, the hospital's media relations manager, said she didn't know how many of the machines the hospital has, how far back the records date or how many employees would undergo the additional training.

Dr. Arthur McDowell, a former chief of cardiology and now senior administrator at Middlesex Hospital, said perfusion machines are used during open-heart surgery to reduce the amount of blood in the heart, making it easier to operate.

"To do the surgery, they put the heart on bypass, and that's the perfusion machine, so blood goes from the body to the machine," he said. "It's oxygenated and goes back into the body so they can isolate and operate on the heart. Generally, there are trained profusionists who run the machine during the procedure being done."

The hospital does about 1,000 cardiology surgeries a year, Varona said, though she did not know how many of those were elective -- such as coronary artery bypass and valve replacement surgeries -- and how many were emergency.

Physician's offices will notify patients who have surgeries scheduled, Varona said, and patients seeking new surgery dates will be diverted to other area hospitals.

"We will work with the DPH to ensure that the highest level of quality care continues to be delivered to our patients," Varona said in the prepared release.