Front: Cathy Ferrara, Maria Carrera and Alison Beck. Back: Drs. Seth Waldman and Daniel Catanzaro.
Members of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery competed in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2, 2003, to help increase public awareness about the importance of cardiac health and to raise funding for research. During several days preceding the race, members of the Department also participated in the Marathon Expo at the Jacob Javits Center. At the Expo, attended by more than 30,000 marathon entrants, important information was distributed about cardiovascular health and disease. In addition, several former cardiothoracic surgery patients who were running in the marathon stopped by to find out about new research and clinical work happening in the Department.
Patients and their families know about the Department's expertise and commitment to clinical care. However, many are unaware of the importance of the research program to the success of the clinical program. Research in the Department explores innovative approaches to cardiothoracic surgery, and also provides rigorous training for future cardiothoracic surgeons. Among the Department's achievements are new procedures for eliminating or reducing transfusions—so-called "bloodless" surgery—and gene therapies for growing new blood vessels in failing hearts. Current cardiac research focuses on developing treatments to reduce the thickening of vein grafts that can lead to their failure and treatments to correct abnormal heart rhythms that can cause strokes or be fatal. The thoracic group focuses on immunotherapies and COX-2 inhibitors for the treatment of lung and esophageal cancers. The Department continues to develop minimally invasive approaches that will greatly reduce the trauma of cardiothoracic surgery.
In coordination with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery serves more than 1,500 new patients each year, many of whom are high-risk patients referred from other centers. Weill Cornell cardiothoracic surgeons and scientists are recognized both in the United States and throughout the world for their cutting-edge clinical care and research.