Adult Cardiac Surgery at Emory

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Committed to excellence and innovation

Overview

The Adult Cardiac Surgery Service at Emory in Atlanta, Georgia, has developed such innovative procedures as complex coronary revascularization, minimally invasive coronary bypass surgery, off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery, repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms and heart valve repair and/or replacement. Considered one of the top academic centers in the nation in clinical volume, the service also provides mitral valve repair, revascularization of acute myocardial infarction, resection of thoracic and thoraco-abdominal aneurysms, surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation (this link will take you out of Adult Cardiac Surgery to the Emory Cardiology site), reoperative coronary surgery and endoscopic techniques for cardiac bypass surgery. As a component of the Emory Heart & Vascular Center, which encompasses all cardiology services and research at Emory, the service functions in a state-of-the-art environment where collaboration between specialties is a priority.

Historic Firsts

Emory has been the site of various firsts in adult cardiac surgery, including:

	Georgia's first coronary artery bypass, performed by Dr. Charles Hatcher in 1970.
	The first application in Georgia of the Abiomed biventricular assist system to support the failing heart of a patient suffering from post-cardiotomy shock by Dr. Robert Guyton and Dr. Omar Lattouf in 1989.
	The performance of Georgia's first minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass surgery in 1996 by Dr. Joseph Craver.
	Dr. John Puskas' 1997 performance of the world's first triple off-pump bypass surgery using minimally invasive coronary artery bypass graft (Mini-CABG) instrumentation.
	Dr. David Vega's implantation in 1999 of the first dual pump Thoratec ventricular assist device (VAD) to be used as a bridge to transplant in Georgia.
	Dr. Omar Lattouf's performance of the world's first totally endoscopic left ventricular resynchronization in 2001.
	Dr. Thomas Vassiliades' establishment in 2003 of one of the only cardiac surgery centers in the world to offer endoscopic atraumatic coronary artery bypass (Endo-ACAB), the most minimally invasive bypass surgery presently available.
	The February 2006 implantation by Dr. David Vega and his surgical team of Georgia's first VAD, a HeartMate XVE, as a means of providing permanent therapy for heart failure rather than as a bridge to transplant. In 2007, Dr. Vega and his team implanted Georgia's first HeartMate II VAD for the same purpose. The HeartMate II is smaller and lighter than the XVE and features an automatic speed control mode designed to regulate pumping activity based on different levels of patient or cardiac activity.

Research

The Cardiothoracic Research Laboratory of Carlyle Fraser Heart Center conducts basic and translational research in cardiac surgery, cardiothoracic diseases and treatment; trains basic science and clinical investigators in cardiothoracic research and therapeutics; and develops innovative strategies and devices to treat cardiothoracic diseases. Our investigators have devised methods of protecting the heart during open heart surgery and are refining and testing a method for prevention of calcification of bioprosthetic heart valves. Current laboratory efforts are focused on resurrection of dying heart cells at the time of a heart attack, mechanisms and treatment of surgical and non-surgical myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, and the use of stem cells to assist in the recovery of the heart after a myocardial infarction.

A very active clinical research program in cardiac and thoracic surgery is conducted through the division's Clinical Research Unit (CRU), which is devoted to developing and investigating new techniques and technologies in cardiothoracic surgery, one example being Dr. Puskas' 2000-2004 SMART study establishing the efficacy of off-pump coronary bypass in providing complete revascularization with patency rates equivalent to conventional coronary artery bypass graft surgery as well as a decreased hospital morbidity. In 2007, the CRU was selected to join the Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-supported consortium of adult cardiac surgery centers) to evaluate new surgical techniques, technologies, devices and innovative pharmaceutical and bioengineered products in multi-institutional prospective randomized trials.