Overview
The clinical programs of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery are based within both the Emory Heart and Vascular Center of Emory Healthcare, which comprises cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery, the structural heart program, heart transplant, and robotic surgery, and the McKelvey Lung Transplant Center, where our lung transplant surgeons participate in the multidisciplinary continuum of sophisticated care involved in lung transplantation.
Emory has been the site of many cardiothoracic surgery firsts throughout the decades, including the performance of Georgia's first "blue baby" open-heart procedure in 1962, Georgia's first adult heart transplant in 1985, and the implantation of Georgia's first ventricular assist device to provide permanent destination therapy for heart failure rather than as a bridge to transplant in 2006. Other notable accomplishments include the performance of Emory's 1000th TAVR procedure in 2015 and Emory CT surgeon Douglas Murphy's performance of his 2000th robotically assisted mitral valve surgery in 2016. More recently, Emory held its 1000th heart transplant in 2022 with Mani Daneshmand, MD, and its 5000th lung transplant in 2020 with Felix Fernandez, MD, MSc.
Emory's cardiothoracic surgery faculty are often at the forefront of their clinical fields in terms of technology and procedures. For example, Emory's CT surgeons are recognized in Atlanta, the Southeast, and across the country for their expertise in robotic cardiac surgery. In addition to mitral valve repair and replacement, Emory cardiac surgeons use robotic systems to treat such cardiac and thoracic conditions as atrial septal defect repair, atrial myxoma and thrombi, coronary bypass (LIMA to LAD), mediastinal mass excision, thymectomy, epicardial lead placement, and pericardial window.
Our adult cardiac surgeons are national leaders in performing off-pump coronary artery bypass procedures to treat coronary artery disease as well as robotically assisted, minimally invasive coronary artery bypass surgery. In addition, Emory University Hospital was one of the first sites in the nation, and the first in Georgia, to offer transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR), a minimally-invasive treatment option for severe aortic valvular heart disease.
More details on Emory's cardiothoracic surgery programs and the types of surgical services our faculty offer may be found by visiting the following Emory Healthcare links:
McKelvey Lung Transplant Center
Structural Heart and Valve Center
Robotically Assisted, Minimally Invasive Bypass Surgery
Cardiac Services at St. Francis Hospital