About the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute

Our Divisions

US News Best HospitalsAs a recognized leader in cardiovascular care — with a rich history in clinical research and innovation — the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute offers a full spectrum of personalized cardiovascular services.

We're proud of the contributions and accomplishments that have allowed us to improve the lives of many of our patients.

Accomplishments and Experience

As one of the first heart transplant centers in the United States, UPMC has made significant contributions to the advancement of cardiovascular medicine.

  • UPMC is ranked among America's best hospitals, by U.S. News & World Report, for heart care and heart surgery.
  • UPMC was the first hospital to successfully discharge a patient with a ventricular-assist device (VAD).
  • Our surgeons implanted one of the first left VADs into the heart cavity instead of in the abdomen — a less invasive surgery with a lower risk for bleeding and infection.
  • UPMC cardiac surgeons performed the first minimally invasive direct coronary bypass (MIDCAB) graft in the tristate (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia) region.
  • Experts in our Division of Vascular Surgery specialize in minimally invasive procedures, which many of our faculty helped to pioneer for the treatment of the entire vascular system.
  • UPMC's Cardiac Catheterization Program is one of the nation's largest in terms of patient volume. Our experts perform more than 21,000 diagnostic and interventional procedures each year.
  • The UPMC Heart and Lung Transplant Program is one of the few nationwide to have performed more than 1,300 adult cardiac transplants and 1,600 adult lung or heart-lung transplants — making it one of the most experienced in the world.
  • Our Artificial Heart Program — one of the nation’s oldest and most active — has treated more than 600 people over the past 20 years, with mechanical circulatory support devices.

Innovative Therapies and Research

Our clinicians, surgeons, and physician researchers are exploring and employing the latest technologies and treatments to find new and better ways to treat our patients.

  • Our exciting new therapies involving VADs have allowed some patients’ hearts to heal on their own, allowing for removal of the device and eliminating the need for heart transplantation.
  • The UPMC Cardiology Division garners millions of dollars in funding each year to conduct research in core areas of focus, including:
    • Translational genetics
    • Heart failure
    • Sudden death
    • Vascular disease
    • Molecular imaging
    • Cardiovascular outcomes
  • UPMC's academic partner, the University of Pittsburgh, remains one of the top 10 institutions in the country funded by the American Heart Association.

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