Research

Research in Cardiac Surgery

Research at Vanderbilt has had a long and distinguished history. Beginning with Dr. Alfred Blalocks experiments in shock to modern genomics today, Vanderbilt Cardiac Surgery continues to be dedicated to discovery and scientific inquiry.

The Cardiac Surgery Laboratory is a core lab that cohorts students, fellows, faculty and basic scientist collaborators to explore relevant questions in modern cardiovascular care.

Organ Regeneration, Recovery, and Replacement (LOR3)

The LOR3, directed by Matthew Bacchetta, MD, MBA, is focused on creating organ support systems that provide extended physiologic support for injured organs, bioengineering platforms for organ recovery and regeneration, and developing artificial cardiopulmonary assist systems. Our group is the first to develop a large pre-clinical cross-circulation platform for extracorporeal support of human lungs rejected for transplantation. We have also recently established a high-fidelity, titratable large pre-clinical model for pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure, a large pre-clinical platform that serves as a basis for developing the next-generation, durable mechanical support technology. Our work has been published in leading academic medical, scientific, and engineering journals, and also featured in major news outlets including The New York Times.  

The LOR3 is an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, scientists, engineers, nurses, surgeons and the S.R. Light Research and Training Laboratory personnel. If you are interested in joining our effort Contact Us.

MOMEMTUM 3 Clinical Trials

As part of its ongoing commitment to provide excellent care for heart failure patients in Tennessee and the Southeastern U.S., Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute recently became the first medical center in the state to implant the HeartMate 3, a novel mechanical circulatory support device.

Vanderbilt Heart is currently one of 60 select centers chosen to evaluate the HeartMate 3, a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), as part of the MOMENTUM 3 trial, which is expected to enroll more than 1,000 patients nationwide. Story Link

Research Faculty