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.

SAVR outperforms TAVR in patients with bicuspid aortic valves
BAV patients are often excluded from TAVR trials, creating uncertainty about the best way to treat that population when aortic valve replacement is required. To learn more, researchers tracked CMS data from 2018 to 2022, presenting their findings in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
‘Incredibly rewarding’: FDA expands total artificial heart study after early success
An additional 15 patients will now receive BiVacor's titanium total artificial heart technology as they wait for a permanent transplant.
How one health system reduced lengths of stay, slashed readmissions after heart surgery
Remote patient monitoring helps clinicians track heart patients as they recover from major operations. One surgeon described the technology as a "game-changer," highlighting the confidence patients feel when they have "an extra set of eyes on them."
Heart surgeons detail world’s first robotic heart procedure of its kind
The care team behind the very first robotic aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass surgery has written about the experience in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. The group discussed the development of the technique, how the patient was chosen for treatment and other key details.
Cardiothoracic surgery linked to a lack of diversity, uneven salaries: What can be done?
A brand new analysis explored diversity, equity and inclusion within the specialty of cardiovascular surgery. It also included several recommendations for leaders looking to help create change and improve patient care.

TAVR comparable to surgery for patients with rheumatic aortic stenosis

The new analysis, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, included findings from more than 1,000 Medicare patients with rheumatic aortic stenosis.

April 7, 2021

TAVR outperforms surgery for low-risk patients after 2 years—but the gap may be shrinking

After two years, TAVR was still linked to a reduction in the study’s primary endpoint, but it was also associated with a greater risk of valve thrombosis.

March 2, 2021

Edwards shares ‘encouraging’ 5-year data on RESILIA tissue aortic valve

According to new data from the ongoing COMMENCE clinical trial, patients showed no signs of structural valve deterioration after five years.

February 1, 2021

Cardiac surgery outcomes in UK improve when patients pay for procedure, skip government-funded option

Researchers noted that these patients received care in the same hospitals and were treated by the same physicians. So why the difference in outcomes?

December 16, 2020

TAVR stands tall as ‘the dominant form of aortic valve replacement,’ specialty groups declare

Specialists from the American College of Cardiology and Society of Thoracic Surgeons explored data from more than 276,000 patients who have undergone a TAVR procedure in the last nine years.

November 16, 2020

Shear wave imaging ‘extremely promising’ for assessment of myocardial stiffness in heart transplant recipients

The noninvasive technique shows potential where cardiac magnetic resonance imaging falls short.

August 31, 2020

Heart transplants provide value for patients with AL, ATTR cardiac amyloidosis

With the disease becoming more and more common in the United States, researchers have been hard at work determining the best possible treatment options.

May 26, 2020

Cardiothoracic surgeons satisfied with their careers, but risk of burnout remains

Heart and lung surgeons are as satisfied with their jobs as ever, according to new survey results published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

May 18, 2020

Cardiac Surgery

SAVR outperforms TAVR in patients with bicuspid aortic valves

‘Incredibly rewarding’: FDA expands total artificial heart study after early success

How one health system reduced lengths of stay, slashed readmissions after heart surgery

Heart surgeons detail world’s first robotic heart procedure of its kind

Cardiothoracic surgery linked to a lack of diversity, uneven salaries: What can be done?