Interactive clinical trials website launches

Opera contest winner announced

A daily checkup without leaving the comfort of home

Put a spring in your step with upcoming walks

Discover the gift of health with the YMCA

Donate online to
Scouting for Food

Measuring patient satisfaction

Health Plan holds weight loss challenge

New supplier to streamline process to obtain forms, stationery products

Smokeless doesn't
mean safe

Engineering the future of cardiac surgery

As a national center of excellence for heart surgery and the largest heart surgery program in Pennsylvania, the UPMC Heart, Lung, and Esophageal Surgery Institute’s (HLESI) Division of Cardiac Surgery has a long history of providing outstanding care and access to the most advanced surgical techniques available to treat a broad spectrum of heart and vascular diseases and conditions. And with two newly recruited surgical specialists and two new specialty care centers on the way, the program is poised to advance further up the ranks as one of the most experienced and respected in the nation.

“UPMC has long been known for its multidisciplinary Heart Transplantation Program and Artificial Heart Program, both of which have gained international recognition for their patient volumes and development in their respective areas,” says Kenton Zehr, MD, associate director, HLESI, and chief, Division of Cardiac Surgery. “When I arrived at UPMC last year, I saw an opportunity to augment cardiac surgery services in certain areas and that has led to the creation of the Center for Thoracic Aortic Disease and the Center for Heart Valve Disease.”

Streamlining care

Led by Thomas Gleason, MD, an aortic valve repair specialist who joined HLESI in December, the new Center for Thoracic Aortic Disease brings together UPMC experts with a defined clinical and academic focus on thoracic aortic diseases, including aneurysms, aortic dissection, bicuspid aortic valve, and the Marfan syndrome. According to Dr. Gleason, the center’s goals are to facilitate and streamline the highest level of care delivery for patients, while promoting clinical and translational research aimed at improving reconstructive techniques and other diagnostic and treatment options.

“The center aims to provide timely, comprehensive, and individualized care by a multidisciplinary team that includes cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, geneticists, radiologists, vascular surgeons, neurologists, and others,” says Dr. Gleason. “We’ve established a clinic where these consultations, as well as diagnostic imaging and cardiologic testing, all can occur in one place. It’s a benefit for the patients, and it helps foster a more collaborative approach to their care.” Referring physicians only need to make a single phone call to the center to initiate a comprehensive evaluation for their patients. The clinic is located at University Center, Oakland.

World-class expertise

A vital component of the center is endovascular therapy for aortic disease. Under the guidance of Michael Siegenthaler, MD, director of Thoracic Endovascular Therapy, associate director of the UPMC Artificial Heart Program, and HLESI’s newest recruit, the new Center for Thoracic Aortic Disease offers advanced surgical treatments, including minimally invasive endovascular aortic arch, thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic repairs with stent grafts, and hybrid endovascular surgical procedures.

Rounding out an already impressive clinical faculty, Dr. Siegenthaler is a cardiac and vascular surgeon with extensive experience in minimally invasive endovascular treatment for complex aortic disease. Dr. Siegenthaler specializes in the development and implantation of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and new technologies for lifetime mechanical circulatory assistance. Prior to his arrival at UPMC in February, he served as an associate professor of surgery and staff surgeon in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Freiburg Medical Center in Germany.

The new Center for Heart Valve Disease, which is set to launch in the coming year and will be co-directed by Dr. Gleason and Dr. Zehr, promises to offer patients the newest surgical techniques and therapies for treatment of valvular disease. According to Dr. Zehr, this will include reconstruction techniques for the aortic root and complex aortic valve repair techniques that have been designed by the center’s own surgeons.

This impressive combination of expertise, resources, and the aspiration to advance surgical care is what drives the Division of Cardiac Surgery today. And it’s what will cement UPMC’s reputation as among the best programs in the world for years to come.

To refer a patient to the Center for Thoracic Aortic Disease, call 412-647-7070. For emergencies and immediate referrals, call 412-647-7000.