Cardiac Surgery

Pictured: Cardiac Surgery Skills Lab with Katherine Wood, M.D.

Faculty Listing:

Peter Knight, M.D., F.A.C.S, Dr. Jude S. Sauer Family Distinguished Professor and Chief, Division of Cardiac Surgery

Adult Cardiac:

Karin Chase, M.D., Associate Professor of Surgery and Emergency Medicine

Igor Gosev, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Surgery

George L. Hicks, M.D., Professor of Surgery

Kazuhiro Hisamoto, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery

Ryan Magnuson, M.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery, Cardiac Intensivist

Bart Simon, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery

Katherine L. Wood, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery

Pediatric Cardiac:

George M. Alfieris, M.D., Tansukh, Sarla and Rajesh Ganatra Distinguished Professor in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics

Michael Swartz, Ph.D., P.A., Associate Professor of Surgery

Shuichi Yoshitake, M.D., Instructor of Surgery, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

The past year has been a challenging yet exciting time for the Division of Cardiac Surgery. The COVID-19 constraints have highlighted the disparities in the delivery of health care in our region and our nation. Navigating this successfully has reinforced the fact that great healthcare delivery relies on successful care teams that value each member’s contribution equally. In 2021 we have added to our surgical team. Dr. Kazuhiro Hisamoto, a talented surgeon from New York University joined the faculty and has been named the Surgical Director of the Structural Heart Program.Dr. Katherine Wood, a former Integrated Thoracic Resident at URMC, has returned to Rochester to join the division after completing a Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Lastly,Dr. Shuichi Yoshitake joins our surgical faculty and adds to the excellent pediatric surgical team at the Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Our focus over the past year and our plan for the coming years is to provide state-of-the-art cardiac surgical services in each area of our specialty. In the advanced heart failure arena, we are nationwide leaders in the implementation of ventricular assist devices and have pioneered less invasive methods of implantation. We are working with a local device developer to add enabling technology to facilitate even less invasive methods. For structural heart disease, we are leaders in the application of minimally invasive techniques for valve surgery. Essentially no patients with isolated valve disease are treated with conventional sternotomy at UR Medicine Cardiac Care.

Now that we have established the clinical programs, we will focus our research efforts in this area. For revascularization,we are working closely with our technology partner to develop a novel method of internal thoracic artery harvest to facilitate the push to minimally invasive CABG. We have hired one of our graduating residents Dr. Bart Simon to spearhead this initiative which will evolve over the next 2-5 years. One of our research fellows is also committed to this project. In addition, our acute shock transport team continues to be a “lifesaver” for the entire region. Our program supports all of the cardiac surgery programs in the region by consulting and transferring critically ill cardiac patients at any time of the day or night.

Our pediatric cardiac program under Dr. George Alfieris’ leadership continues to thrive. Over the previous year, the results for the repair and palliation of congenital heart surgery have never been better. Outcomes data from both the New York State Department of Health and Society of Thoracic Surgeons demonstrates the program’s superior ability to care for the most complex pediatric heart disease. In addition, the program has started extubating a greater majority of children in the operating room following the procedure, facilitating both faster recovery and lowering the hospital length of stay for these critically ill patients.

Patient-and family-centered care starts with our team members. Experience matters, yet nationwide the attrition rates for healthcare workers stands at around 20%. This has accelerated during the COVID crisis as many healthcare workers experience “burnout.” Our main focus over the next two years will be to build an environment where every member of our team – environmental services staff, respiratory therapists, nurses and everyone else – feels valued equally. It is our belief that by doing this we will create a team that others want to join and to which all of us want to contribute.

Peter Knight, M.D., F.A.C.S., Dr. Jude S. Sauer Family Distinguished Professorship and Chief, Division of Cardiac Surgery