Department of Cardiac Surgery

A standard heart transplant requires surgical many types of instruments. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
January 21, 2026

New donor organ storage method helps reduce rates of severe primary graft dysfunction

Methods such as the cold storage system make it possible to preserve organs for longer after donation, expanding the pool of available organs.

By Matt Batcheldor
Members of the transplant team pose for a photo after surpassing 200 adult and pediatric heart transplants. (photo courtesy of Ashish Shah)
December 23, 2025

Vanderbilt Health performs record number of adult and pediatric heart transplants during 2025

As in prior years, the success of Vanderbilt Health’s transplant program is a testament to the greatness of individuals and innovations alike and to the tremendous power of teamwork.

By Matt Batcheldor
October 17, 2025

Remembrances of Levi Watkins Jr., MD, shared to honor his legacy

Watkins was a leading surgeon, physician-scientist, mentor and role model for countless students, trainees and faculty members.

By Jill Clendening
Ravi Shah, MD, Julie Damp, MD, and Ashish Shah, MD, (left to right) were panelists for a moderated discussion regarding current and future advancements cardiovascular care and healthy aging, led by Daniel Muñoz, MD, MPA. (photo by Susan Urmy)
October 6, 2025

Legacy Circle Spotlight Series

Donors are welcomed into the Legacy Circle when they make a lasting gift to the Medical Center through their will, retirement plan, life insurance policy or trust.

By Crystal Brownell
(iStock)
August 4, 2025

VUMC’s ECMO program sees substantial growth

ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, is a life-sustaining mechanical system that takes over for the hearts and lungs of critically ill patients, allowing them to rest and recover.

By Matt Batcheldor
July 17, 2025

New organ recovery technique could make more heart transplants available

The method, rapid recovery with extended ultra-oxygenated preservation, involves flushing the donor heart with a cold oxygenated preservation solution after death.

By Matt Batcheldor
July 7, 2025

Quick action to treat young dancer’s rare heart condition a testament to what multidisciplinary teams can do

Bystanders assumed the healthy teen — who has danced for nine years, six of those competitively — was overheated or exhausted. Conscious, though unresponsive to questions, Zoe quickly worsened.
By Christina Echegaray
June 16, 2025

From stadium to stents, quick response saves soccer fan

When her evening pivoted from cheering for Nashville Soccer Club to suffering a heart attack, well-coordinated teams kept Leigh Anne Clark’s heart and life safe.
By Jill Clendening
May 28, 2025

Medical team uses nontraditional therapy to help give young patient a chance at making it to heart transplant

The team used an Impella, a catheter-based miniature ventricular assist device. It offered the best chance of getting rising eighth-grader Van Sung to transplant.
By Jessica Pasley
April 23, 2025

New consortium of health systems dedicated to improving cardiac surgery outcomes throughout Tennessee

The consortium includes VUMC and all major health systems in Middle Tennessee as well as throughout the state in collaboration with the Tennessee Hospital Association.
By Matt Batcheldor
February 18, 2025

Scot Pollard’s journey took him from the NBA to the heart transplant waitlist

At 6 feet, 11 inches, he played in the NBA for 11 years on five different teams before retiring in 2008 and never had any heart issues that slowed him down.
By Matt Batcheldor
January 13, 2025

Vanderbilt Transplant Center sets world record for heart transplants in 2024

The Vanderbilt Transplant Center had a banner year in 2024. The number of patients whose lives were saved by Vanderbilt’s heart transplant team far surpasses any previous total by an individual transplant center. 
By Matt Batcheldor
January 6, 2025

Heart transplant program reaches new landmark

The recipient of the 2,000th transplant was Wes Carter, 37, a real estate agent from Pensacola, Florida, who first noticed an irregular heart rhythm in his mid-20s.
By Matt Batcheldor
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