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.

Study reveals similar 5-year outcomes for TAVR, SAVR

An analysis of PARTNER 2 data published in the New England Journal of Medicine Jan. 29 suggests five-year post-op outcomes are similar among heart patients who undergo either transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement.

January 30, 2020

Is volume an accurate measure of success when it comes to mitral valve surgery?

Nearly 93% of the U.S. population lives in a hospital referral region with at least one medical center that performs 25 or more mitral valve repairs or replacements each year, according to work published in JAMA Cardiology—but MVRR centers continue to suffer from significant geographical and patient-level disparities.

November 22, 2019

TAVR linked to better long-term health status than SAVR

Patients with severe aortic stenosis who undergo TAVR enjoy a minor but significant sustained health benefit that isn’t mirrored in patients who opt for surgical AVR, according to research reported at TCT 2019 in San Francisco.

October 3, 2019

As Surgery Gives Way to Transcatheter Procedures, Is the Cardiology Cash Cow in Jeopardy?

With minimally invasive structural procedures crowding out their surgical counterparts, how are physicians and hospitals preparing for the new reality?

September 9, 2019

CABG trumps PCI in multivessel CAD patients

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery beat out stent placement with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a recent study of patients with multivessel coronary artery disease. Patients saw lower risks of death, hospital readmission and revascularization with the former procedure.

May 3, 2019

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?