Cardiac Surgery

Cardiothoracic surgery includes coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), heart valve repair or replacement, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement, heart transplant, assisting in minimally invasive transcatheter valve structural heart procedures such as TAVR, left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion, septal myectomy, surgical ablation for arrhythmias, and reconstruction of the heart in congenial heart disease cases.

Surgeons make history again, transplant pig heart into human patient for second time ever
That same team that transplanted a pig heart into a human patient for the very first time in 2022 has now done it again. The patient is currently recovering from the procedure, which occurred on Sept. 20.
The 50 best hospitals in the world for cardiac surgery
The new ranking, based on extensive survey data gathered by Newsweek, includes a total of 150 hospitals. Seven of the top 10 are located in the United States.
Microplastics identified in heart tissue samples—are surgeries to blame?
Tiny fragments of plastic are commonly found deep inside the human body. Heart surgery, it seems, is one of many ways these microplastics are reaching their destination.
FDA announces fourth recall of 2023 for troubled heart devices
This latest recall was brought on by electrical failures and includes more than 4,500 devices. There have been 26 complaints due to the issue but no reported injuries or deaths.
Surgery, interventional therapies still the best choice for many HCM patients
"You have to look at each patient and understand their goals," one HCM expert said in a new interview.

Surgeons with University of Maryland Medical Center transplant a pig heart into a human patient for only the second time ever on Sept. 20 2023. Bartley P. Griffith, MD, a professor of surgery and clinical director of the cardiac xenotransplantation program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), and Muhammad M. Mohiuddin, MD, scientific director of the cardiac xenotransplantation program at UMSOM, performed the historic procedure. #pigheart

Surgeons make history again, transplant pig heart into human patient for second time ever

That same team that transplanted a pig heart into a human patient for the very first time in 2022 has now done it again. The patient is currently recovering from the procedure, which occurred on Sept. 20.

September 25, 2023

A study that analyzed patient outcomes in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in veterans showed outcomes for on-pump and off-pump procedures over 10 years to be similar. Photo by Jim Lennon

The 50 best hospitals in the world for cardiac surgery

The new ranking, based on extensive survey data gathered by Newsweek, includes a total of 150 hospitals. Seven of the top 10 are located in the United States.

September 21, 2023

Microplastics identified in heart tissue samples—are surgeries to blame?

Tiny fragments of plastic are commonly found deep inside the human body. Heart surgery, it seems, is one of many ways these microplastics are reaching their destination.

August 11, 2023

FDA announces fourth recall of 2023 for troubled heart devices

This latest recall was brought on by electrical failures and includes more than 4,500 devices. There have been 26 complaints due to the issue but no reported injuries or deaths.

August 10, 2023

Video of Hari Naidu, MD, director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center of Excellence at Westchester Medical Center, explaining the role of alcohol septal ablation and surgical myectomy in the era of mavacamten. #HCM #ASE

Surgery, interventional therapies still the best choice for many HCM patients

"You have to look at each patient and understand their goals," one HCM expert said in a new interview.

August 9, 2023

Nicholas Smedira MD discusses spetal myectomy in HCM patients and the need for more detailed protocols for HCM care. #HCM #ASE #ASE2023 #myectomy

A surgeon's perspective on treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Nicholas Smedira, MD, a cardiovascular surgeon with Cleveland Clinic, discusses septal myectomy and the need to improve overall HCM care with new standards and evidence-based guidelines.

August 9, 2023

Mayo Clinic was listed the No. 3 top cardiovascular hospital in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.

The 25 best U.S. cardiology hospitals ranked

U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of heart hospitals named Cleveland Clinic No. 1, once again, but there were many changes among the other top 25 hospitals.

August 2, 2023

Abbott pulled the Trifecta GTaortic surgical valve off market in July 2023 after it was determined it had early structural valve deterioration (SVD) before 5 years.

Abbott pulls Trifecta heart valves off the market due to early deterioration

The FDA sent notice today that Abbott is pulling the Trifecta aortic surgical heart valve off the U.S. market due to the risk of early structural valve deterioration in less than 5 years.

July 31, 2023

Around the web

Health Exec

Surgeons successfully transplant pig hearts into recently deceased humans

Surgeons at NYU Langone Health successfully transplanted two genetically engineered pigs hearts into recently deceased humans in June and July.

Health Exec

Machine learning predicts drug cardiotoxicity

Machine learning is playing a key role in predicting all major forms of drug cardiotoxicity, potentially helping reduce late-stage clinical trial failures.

Health Exec

After heart attack, older patients have longer hospital stays but smaller total bills

Heart attack patients aged 65 and up stay hospitalized longer than those aged 65 or under—yet the seniors ring up significantly smaller bills per stay. The bad news is that the “savings” likely come in the form of fewer percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs, aka angioplasties) to open blocked heart arteries nonsurgically.