Heart Surgery (Cardiothoracic Surgery)
The cardiovascular and thoracic surgery service at UC San Diego features a team of board-certified, highly experienced specialists under the leadership of Drs. Stuart Jamieson and Michael Madani.
This dynamic team is known for a combination of training, talent and expertise that translates into exceptional patient care and outcomes.
As one of the top heart and lung surgery centers in the world, UC San Diego specializes in complex, advanced procedures, including
- Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), including off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB). Our cardiothoracic surgeons have extensive experience and expertise in OPCAB, a beating heart procedure that eliminates the need for a heart-lung bypass machine during the procedure.
- Heart valve repair and replacement using innovative minimally invasive techniques, instead of conventional open surgery, to reduce complications and speed recovery time.
- Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE), a lifesaving surgery used to treat pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic pulmonary thromboembolic disease. We have performed nearly 2,700 PTE surgeries – the most of any facility in the world, with the lowest mortality rate.
- Lead extraction, using a minimally invasive laser procedure to cut through scar tissue surrounding infected or damaged wires for pacemakers and defibrillators
- Heart and lung transplantation
- Implantation of ventricular assist devices (VADs)
- Surgery for arrhythmias
- Congenital heart surgery
- Surgery for lung cancer
- Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis
- Thoracic surgery, including lung resection, esophageal surgery and lung-volume reduction for emphysema
Our Team Is Committed to You
Our physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and social workers pay attention to every detail – from your first consultative visit, throughout hospitalization and post-operative follow-up care. Our academic faculty are continuously involved in clinical and basic science research.
Each day, we are devoted to finding and delivering new therapies that will safely and effectively improve your quality of life.