Cardiovascular Surgery

Welcome to the cardiac surgery service line.  We are located on the third floor of Vanderbilt University Hospital.

The environment on our unit is friendly, patient-centered, and collaborative with the other members of the interdisciplinary surgical team. We care for adult patients who are being treated for cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, and peripheral vascular disease.  Our patients are unique because they are high acuity patients, often turned down for surgery at other medical centers.

One of the perks of working in our area is gaining world-class experience in a vast array of surgical interventions.  For example, one of our physicians developed a cutting-edge technique called of preserving hearts for transplant called REUP that allowed the viability window to be increased from 4 hours to 12 hours -- allowing us to serve patients further away.

We consistently break our own heart transplant world record:

• 2017:  Surpassed 1,000 total heart transplants performed since the program's inception (which began with its first adult procedure in 1985 and pediatric procedure in 1987).
• 2020 & 2021:  Performed 147 total heart transplants in 2020 (124 adult, 23 pediatric), a number that held steady through 2021. This first secured Vanderbilt's status as the highest-volume heart transplant program in the world.
• 2024:  Performed 174 heart transplants.
• 2025:  Surpassed 200 heart transplants.

Our nurses are successful because they have initiative, critical thinking skills, and care deeply for our patients. We orient new nurses to our unit by using didactic learning and simulation-based training to enhance the preceptorship experience and provide each nurse a safe space for learning.