The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University Medical Center takes pride in the rich tradition of excellence and pioneering firsts that have made it one of the top cardiac and thoracic programs in the nation. Our long and distinguished legacy of research dates back to the late 1950s, our most notable triumphs being the first adult human heart transplant in the United States, the world’s first successful combined adult human heart-lung transplant, and the first successful use of a ventricular device as a bridge to transplantation.

Our Department is comprised of three divisions:

• » Adult Cardiac Surgery - internationally renowned for surgical leadership and expertise and a record of more than 30,000 cardiac procedures
• » Pediatric Cardiac Surgery - one of the largest programs in the country providing specialized pediatric cardiovascular surgery and acclaimed for its contributions to improving survival from otherwise lethal cardiac malformations
• » Thoracic Surgery - highly reputed for the management of patients with lung cancer, emphysema, esophageal cancer, and mediastinal diseases

Together, the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery continues to improve patient health through continual scientific innovation, revolutionary operative care, and exemplary surgical education.

Four decades ago, years of research by Dr. Norman Shumway and his colleagues culminated in the first successful human heart transplantation in the United States. In the years since that momentous surgery, Dr. Shumway’s team conducted clinical and basic research that have made heart and lung transplantations relatively common procedures, providing decades of life to patients worldwide. More »