Cardiothoracic Surgery Research

Dr. Gabriel Aldea, Professor & Section Chief, Adult Cardiac Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery Expand
Dr. Gabriel Aldea's research explores methods and techniques for improving outcomes and quality care in cardiac surgery. Specific research goals include limiting morbidity of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), cell salvage, and transfusion; and developing alternative therapies for complex aortic and valvular pathologies that do not require CPB.
Significant Publications
Wijeysundera HC, Topilsky Y, Aupart M, Reardon MJ, Mackensen GB, Szeto WY, Kornowski R, Gammie JS, Yoganathan AP, Arbel Y, Borger MA, Simonato M, Reisman M, Makkar RR, Abizaid A, McCabe JM, Dahle G, Aldea GS, Leipsic J, Pibarot P, Moat NE, Mack MJ, Kappetein AP, Leon MB; VIVID (Valve in Valve International Data) Investigators. Standard Definitions of Structural Valve Degeneration for Surgical and Transcatheter Bioprosthetic Aortic Valves. Circulation. 2018;137(4):388-399
Aldea G, Dvir D. Exuberance meets harsh realities in the bioprosthetic tissue valve era. JTCVS 2018;155(5): e145-146
Mansard SV, Aldea GS, Ho NM, Mankard R, Psilaru S, Whisenant B, Zimmerman K. Transcatheter mitral valve implantation in degenerated bioprosthetic valves. J AM Soc of Echocardiogr. 2018; S094-7317
Aldea GS. Too small will fail: reconsidering the present with an eye toward the future. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2018 Nov 27. pii: S0022-5223(18)33172-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2018.11.058. [Epub ahead of print]
Suri RM, Javadikasgari H, Heimansohn DA, Weissman NJ, Ailawadi G, Ad N, Aldea GS, Thourani VH, Szeto WY, Michler RE1, Michelena HI, Dabir R, Fontana GP, Kessler WF4, Moront MG, Brunsting LA 3rd, Griffith BP, Montoya A, Subramanian S, Mostovych MA, Roselli EE. Prospective US investigational device exemption trial of a sutureless aortic bioprosthesis: One-year outcomes. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2018 Oct 23. pii: S0022-5223(18)32824-1. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2018.08.121. [Epub ahead of print)
Dr. Farhood Farjah, Associate Professor of Surgery, Endowed Chair in Lung Cancer Research, Associate Medical Director Surgical Outcomes Research Center, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery Expand
Dr. Farhood Farjah and his research team aim to improve the delivery of care and outcomes for individuals at-risk for and patients with diseases of the thorax. One area of focus is increasing the value of cancer screening, staging, and surveillance using risk-prediction and biomarkers to more selectively utilize diagnostic tests. Another area of focus is comparative-effectiveness research evaluating the impact of guideline-recommended lung nodule care, minimally invasive pulmonary resection, and endoscopic versus surgical management of achalasia. Finally, other long-standing areas of interest include quality improvement research and health economic and new technology assessment in thoracic surgery. Learn more > > >
Significant Publications
Monu J, Triplette M, Wood DE, Wolff EM, Lavallee DC, Flum DR, Farjah F. Evaluating Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs about Lung Cancer Screening Using Crowdsourcing. Chest. 2020 (in press).
Verdial FC, Madtes DK, Cheng GS, Pipavath S, Kim R, Hubbard JJ, Zadworny M, Wood DE, Farjah F. Multidisciplinary team based management of incidentally detected lung nodules. Chest. 2020 Apr;157(4):985-993.
Verdial FC, Berfield K, Wood DE, Mulligan M, Roth J, Francis DO, Farjah F. Safety and costs of endobronchial ultrasound-guided nodal aspiration and mediastinoscopy. Chest. 2020 Mar;157(3):686-693.
Verdial FC, Madtes D, Hwang B, Mulligan M, Odem-Davis K, Waroruntu R, Wood DE, Farjah F. A Prediction Model for Nodal Disease among Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Ann Thorac Surg. 2019 Jun;107(6):1600-1606.
Krantz SB, Howington JA, Wood DE, Kim KW, Kosinski AS, Cox ML, Kim S, Mulligan MS, Farjah F. Invasive mediastinal staging for lung cancer by Society of Thoracic Surgeons database participants. Ann Thorac Surg. 2018 Oct;106(4):1055-1062.
Dr. Michael McMullan served as President of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization from 2016-2018 and remains active in the organization. His research interests include the use of extracorporeal life support in unique patient groups, program organization and management, and ECLS education. His laboratory has developed a number of novel simulation systems that have been adopted by international medical systems.
Significant Publications
Di Genarro JL, Chan T, Farris RWD, Weiss NS, McMullan DM. Increased stroke risk in children and young adults on extracorporeal life support with carotid cannulation. ASAIO, 2019 Jan 24 [Epub ahead of print]
Chan T, Di Gennaro J, Farris RW, Radman M, McMullan DM. Racial and ethnic variation in pediatric extracorporeal life support survival. Critical Care Medicine, 45(4):670-678, 2017
Burke CR, Chan T, Rubio AE, McMullan DM. Early cardiac catheterization leads to shortened pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation run duration. Journal of Interventional Cardiology, 30(2):170-176, 2017
Burke CR, Chan T, McMullan DM. Extracorporeal life support use in adult burn patients. Journal of Burn Care and Research, 38(3):174-178, 2017
Chan T, Di Gennaro J, Farris RW, Radman M, McMullan DM. Crit Care Med, 45(4):670-678, 2017
Dr. Michael Mulligan, Professor & Chief, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery Section Chief, Thoracic Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery Expand
Dr. Michael Mulligan's research focuses on developing new prevention or treatment strategies in pulmonary diseases. His research goals include characterizing the role of toll-like receptors in lung ischemia reperfusion injury, developing novel therapeutic approaches for prevention of lung ischemia reperfusion injury, and identifying the regulatory pathways that drive ischemic tolerance. Learn more about his lab >>
Significant Publications
Hwang B, Liles WC, Waworuntu R, Mulligan MS. Pretreatment with bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cell-conditioned media confers pulmonary ischemic tolerance. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 151(3):841-9, 2016.
Merry HE, Wolf PS, FitzSullivan E, Keech JC, Mulligan MS. Lipopolysaccharide preconditioning is protective in lung ischemia reperfusion injury. J Heart Lung Transplant, 29(4):471-8, 2010.
Naidu B, Krishnadasan B, Thomas B, Fraga C, Verrier E, Mulligan MS. Early tumor necrosis factor- release from the pulmonary macrophage in lung ischemia-reperfusion injury. J Thoracic and Cardiovasc Surg, 127(5):1502-8, 2004.
Mulligan MS, Paulson JC, DeFrees S, Zheng AL, Lowe JB, Ward PA. Protective effects of oligosaccharides in P-selectin-dependent lung injury. Nature, 364:149-151, 1993.
Mulligan MS, Varani J, Dame MK, Lane CL, Smith CW, Anderson DC, Ward PA. Role of ELAM-1 in neutrophil-mediated lung injury in rats. J Clin Invest, 88:1396-1406, 1991.