Departmental Highlights Archive

Going natural: Using heart patients' own tissue to repair damaged valves

As with other surgical specialties, Dr. Joseph Woo says the growing trend among heart surgeons is to try to recycle, reuse, rebuild and preserve as much of a patient’s own tissues as possible, as patients generally do better when they don’t have to rely on synthetic or animal parts.

November 20, 2017

Former Lung Transplant Patient of Dr. Jack Boyd Competes in World Transplant Games

"It has been an honor to participate in Erinn’s care," said Jack Boyd, M.D., clinical assistant professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and cardiothoracic surgeon at Stanford Health Care, who performed Hoyt’s transplant surgery. "Her strength and determination to do amazing things both before and after her lung transplant are an inspiration to others with cystic fibrosis and to the physicians and health care providers who work with patients with this condition."

November 20, 2017

Department research, faculty prominently featured at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2017

Attracting nearly 20,000 attendees annually from around the world, the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions is one of the most prominent forums for disseminating the latest breakthroughs in cardiovascular surgery and medicine. The Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery was well-represented at this year’s conference. The event began with an early career session, which focused on providing guidance and mentorship to trainees and young surgeons.

November 11, 2017

Andrew Goldstone and Peter Chiu published in The New England Journal of Medicine

Article Title: "Prostheses for Aortic­ and Mitral ­Valve Replacement"

Valve ­replacement outcomes were examined with statewide data in California. Bioprostheses were associated with higher long­-term mortality than mechanical valves among patients up to 55 years of age for aortic ­valve replacement and up to 70 years of age for mitral ­valve replacement. 

November 9, 2017

Mechanical heart valve often the safest choice

The benefits of a mechanical valve compared with a biological valve persist until the age of 70 for mitral-valve replacement, according to a new Stanford study.

November 8, 2017

Dameron Hospital Partners with Stanford Health Care

Dameron Hospital has partnered with Stanford Health Care to bring its world-class cardiothoracic surgery program to Stockton, extending Stanford’s reach in Northern California while eliminating the inconvenience of travel to the Bay Area for residents of the region.

October 5, 2017

Dr. Mark Berry receives the 2017 Denise O’ Leary Award for Clinical Excellence

Dr. Mark Berry, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, received the 2017 Denise O’ Leary Award for Clinical Excellence on September 19, 2017. This award was started eight years ago as a lasting tribute to Denise’s commitment to excellence at Stanford Hospital. This award is considered the highest honor for physicians conducting patient care at Stanford Hospital.

September 19, 2017

Siblings breathe easier following double-lung transplants

David Diaz, 9, who has cystic fibrosis, received a pair of new lungs three years after his sister, who also has CF, underwent a double-lung transplantation.

July 14, 2017

Solar-powered heart: Stanford scientists explore using photosynthesis to help damaged hearts

In the ongoing hunt to find better treatments for heart disease, the top cause of death globally, new research from Stanford shows promising results using an unusual strategy: photosynthetic bacteria and light.

June 14, 2017

President, provost launch university-wide planning process

Stanford’s long-range planning process seeks broad input to collaboratively create a shared vision for the university that anticipates future trends and identifies key opportunities.

April 4, 2017

Drs. Richard Ha and Joseph Woo use innovative method to keep teen alive for heart transplant

Abraham Maga's heart and lungs had failed and he would have died very quickly without an intervention. The traditional method of keeping Maga alive using a device called an ECMO (for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) would have required he stay in bed until a heart was available for transplantation. Instead Dr. Richard Ha figured out a way to connect the device directly to Maga's heart rather than through an artery, allowing the boy to leave his bed and even leave the hospital.

March 24, 2017

Ioannis Karakikes paper on genome editing of iPSCs featured on the cover of Circulation Research

Article Title: "Cardiomyopathy TALEN Knockout Library"

Karakikes and colleagues have now created a panel of gene editing constructs designed to target and disrupt 88 different genes associated with cardiovascular diseases. Introducing these individual constructs into human iPSCs and then differentiating the cells into cardiomyocytes should enable researchers to observe how a given mutation affects myocardial development.

February 28, 2017

Virtual reality imaging gives surgeons a better view of patient anatomy

"For patients with very complex anatomy and a lot of variation from the normal cardiac structure, 3-D technologies are really helpful," said Maeda, a clinical associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the School of Medicine.

February 24, 2017

Ngan Huang, PhD, invited to participate in Biomedical Engineering Society's 2017 Young Innovator program

2017