Texas Heart Institute (THI) has long been considered a leader in mechanical circulatory support device research and innovation. In recognition of his leadership and contributions to the field, our very own Dr. O.H. “Bud” Frazier was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Mechanical Circulatory Support at this year’s American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Mechanical Circulatory Support Symposium.

Dr. Frazier’s career spans more than 30 years and his work has revolutionized the landscape of cardiovascular research, helping to improve transplantation and mechanical device technology to better the lives of patients around the world. Dr. Frazier joins a list of prestigious past recipients for this award, including THI’s founder, the late Dr. Denton A. Cooley.

In addition to this honor, several THI professional staff members lead panels, presentations and discussions at the two-day symposium. Presentations touched on some of the hottest, most relevant topics in the cardiovascular field today, including:

Subhasis Chatterjee, M.D.

• ECMO for Cardiac Arrest – Out of Hospital vs. In Hospital

Andrew Civitello, M.D.

• Timing the Transition from Short to Long-Term MCS or Transplant
• Diagnosis of Device Thrombosis

Gabriel Loor, M.D.

• ECLS as a Bridge to Decision in Lung Transplantation

Jeffrey A. Morgan, M.D.

• Hot Topics in Mechanical Circulatory Support for Heart and Lung
• MCS Device Thrombosis
• Debate: Results with TAH are Superior to BiVAD in Patients with Severe RV Dysfunction

Ajith Nair, M.D.

• Debate: Class III Patients Should Undergo LVAD Implantation

Todd K. Rosengart, M.D.

• Stem Cells, Gene Therapy, and Cellular Reprogramming as Adjunctive Therapies for LVAD Recipient as a Bridge to Recovery

Siavosh Saatee, M.D.

• ECMO for Cardiac Arrest – Out of Hospital vs. In Hospital

Congratulations, again, to Dr. Bud Frazier for his momentous achievement! We are excited by and proud of THI’s representation at this year’s AATS MCS Symposium. The Institute’s significant presence shows how we continue to build on our strong foundations to be a leader in mechanical circulatory support research and development.

You can learn more about the AATS MCS Symposium by visiting their website.