Stanford University, Cardiothoracic Surgery Department

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 adult human combined heart-lung transplant, the first successful use of a ventricular device as a bridge to transplantation, the first thoracic aortic stent graft, and the development of the first integrated platform for minimally invasive heart surgery.