Massachusetts General Hospital | Heart Center

OverviewCardiac surgery research contributes to the care of patients worldwide through the publication of research results in major, peer-reviewed scientific journals and the dissemination of information through teaching activities.

Milestones

Over the years, our cardiac surgery research team has made many significant advances in the practice of cardiac surgery. These include:

• The first removal of a tumor within the heart in the U.S. under total body hypothermia (1955)
• The first use of extra-corporeal circulation to repair a heart defect in an infant (1956)
• The development of the intra-aortic balloon assist device in conjunction with AVCO
• The development of a test to help assess heart attacks and the appropriateness of surgery (1986)
• The first heart-liver transplant operation in New England (1993)

Areas of Research

• Beating heart surgery
• Outcomes
• Robotics
• Thoracic aortic diseases
• Tissue engineering
• Transplantation biology
• Valve research

Publications

Every year physicians from the Massachusetts General Hospital Corrigan Minehan Heart Center engage in innovative research efforts. Much of this research work is published in distinguished academic journals.

Read publications from Cardiac Surgery (PDF)

Corrigan Minehan Heart Center

Phone: 866-MGH-8910

Public Transportation Access: yes
Disabled Access: yes

If you are a new patient, you may call the Corrigan Minehan Heart Center outpatient access office at 866-MGH-8910, or complete our online appointment form to request an appointment. A member of our access team will ask you more about your condition and symptoms, and match you with the best-fitting Corrigan Minehan Heart Center physician.