CARDIOLOGY
& Heart Surgery
Home of the World-Renowned Texas Heart® Institute
Home of the world-renowned Texas Heart® Institute
A letter from our leadership
Dear Colleagues,
It is with great enthusiasm that we present our annual outcomes report summarizing what we do very well at the Texas Heart® Institute at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center: take care of very sick patients. By integrating innovative technologies and techniques, we are improving our patients’ outcomes and continue to be at the forefront of cardiovascular care.
We are proud to welcome Dr. Marc Moon, our new chief of adult cardiac surgery at the Texas Heart Institute at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center and chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Moon is an innovator and leader in the field, having exceptional expertise in surgical treatments for complex aortic disease and valvular heart diseases, such as interventions in patients with connective tissue disorders and aortic dissection.
Dr. Kenneth Liao, chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, is currently the only surgeon in Houston, Texas, using the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System for cardiovascular procedures. We are one of the largest robotic surgery centers in the country, treating patients from around the world with this advanced technology. For mitral valve and bypass surgery, Dr. Liao and his team have significantly reduced morbidity and improved recovery times, thereby increasing patient satisfaction.
Our multidisciplinary centers of excellence are expanding services for our patients with complex valvular, pericardial, and amyloid heart disease. This year, we earned a prestigious American College of Cardiology accreditation as a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Center of Excellence, making our program the first in Houston to be recognized for this level of quality and clinical outcomes.
Led by Drs. Alexis Shafii and Andrew Civitello, the multidisciplinary advanced heart failure program has achieved a one-year heart transplant survival rate of 97.5%, the highest in Texas.
In addition to its clinical excellence, and true to its mission, Texas Heart® Institute continues its tradition as a pioneer in cardiovascular research and education. It would be impossible for us to continue to lead in the fields of cardiology and cardiac surgery if we did not have researchers and scientists innovating every day in the areas of stem cell therapies, devices, and management of arrhythmias.
One notable example is the Saranas® Early Bird® Bleed Monitoring System. Invented by THI’s Director of Electrophysiology Clinical Research & Innovations, Mehdi Razavi, MD, this device allows for the early detection and monitoring of bleeding complications associated with vascular access procedures. The new device is now being used for patients at the Texas Heart Institute at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center.
THI’s Medical Director Emerson C. Perin, MD, PhD., presented the results of the DREAM-HF in a late-breaking clinical trials session at the 2021 American Heart Association Annual Meeting. The trial randomized 565 patients with class II and class III heart failure to treatment with bone-marrow-derived stem cells or a placebo. Stem cell treatment significantly reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, particularly in those with elevated serum markers of inflammation, highlighting an intriguing mechanistic insight into cell-based therapies.
Drs. William Cohn and O. H. Frazier continue their work with the BiVACOR team to test a novel total artificial heart with centrifugal flow physiology. It is anticipated that this device will reach human trials later this year. Researchers at THI are also testing Second Heart’s aortic implant for heart failure patients who require long-term circulatory support and are unable to receive a heart transplant.
We are equally proud of our cardiology and CV surgery fellows, who are recruited from the finest institutions in the United States. They come here for the immersive experience of caring for a diverse patient population that requires a broad spectrum of treatment—from prevention to treating the most complex stages of illness—and to develop expertise with leading-edge technologies used in a compassionate way by the leaders in the field.
We are humbled by your trust, and we thank you for allowing us to participate in the care of your patients. We are very proud of what we have accomplished, and we are excited about our next firsts in cardiovascular discovery.

Texas Heart® Institute at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center

President and CEO
Texas Heart® Institute at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center
2021 VOLUMES
2021 OUTCOMES
Heart Failure and Transplant
- 97.5% one-year survival after heart transplant (per January 2022 Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients data release)
- The highest survival rate among adult heart transplant programs in Texas
- Aetna Heart Transplant Center of Excellence
- Optum Heart Transplant Center of Excellence
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas Heart Transplant Center of Excellence
- Kelsey-Seybold Heart Transplant Center of Excellence

Robotic-assisted cardiac surgery performed
Led by Kenneth K. Liao, MD, PhD., the team at Texas Heart Institute at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center is focused on using state-of-the-art robotic technology to perform minimally invasive mitral valve repair and coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. The advanced robotic technology uses 3D high-definition scope and robot-controlled fine instruments inside the chest, which allow the surgeon to perform gentle and complex surgical maneuvers inside the heart. The advantages of robotic cardiac surgery include very small incisions through the rib space (1-2 inches), less blood loss, lower risk of stroke and wound infection, and quicker recovery.

Chief of Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center
Cardiology in the time of COVID-19
Texas Heart Institute has maintained a leadership role at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center to make possible early and impactful inpatient treatment for COVID-19 patients that would otherwise not be accessible. The NIH-sponsored trial “Therapeutics for Inpatients with COVID-19” (TICO) was started with Dr. Emerson Perin and THI taking the lead. Coordinating this hospital-wide effort across multiple specialties “engendered great optimism about the future outcomes of our hospitalized patients with COVID-19.”
TICO is a unique master protocol research platform used to evaluate the safety and efficacy of multiple investigational agents for treating patients with COVID-19. Investigational drugs being tested under the TICO platform have included monoclonal antibodies, DARPin proteins, and other antiviral drugs.
We are here, using our knowledge and hard work, to fulfill the mission set forth by Dr. Denton A. Cooley. Alongside our engagement in COVID-19 research and treatment, we continue to move innovative research projects forward to achieve “The Next First” in cardiovascular medicine.

Permanent artificial hearts are closer than you think
Episode 72 - AN ARTIFICIAL HEART GAME-CHANGER
Burgeoning hybrid atrial fibrillation program at THI bolstered by FDA approval of innovative new EPi-sense treatment system
“The FDA approval of the EPi-Sense System for the treatment of long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation is a triumphant result and one that significantly supports the work that we have been doing here to improve treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation,” Dr. Cozart stated. “The EPi-Sense System will help patients with the most advanced stages of atrial fibrillation and will be a true game-changer as a hybrid treatment option. I am extremely hopeful for what today’s announcement means for the future of treatment for atrial fibrillation, which affects over 33 million people around the globe.”

Transcatheter Valve Center of Excellence

Groundbreaking Cardiovascular Gene Therapy Has Potential to Drastically Alter Outlook for Heart Failure Patients
“This is a potentially transformational strategy to treat human heart failure.”

The Texas Heart Institute at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center announced that seminal research conducted by a team of investigators led by James F. Martin, MD, PhD, has been published in Science Translational Medicine, a heralded platform for the peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary research that is driving the latest in medical advances. The paper, drawing on years of discovery dating back to 2007, represents a game-changing step forward for the treatment of heart failure by using gene therapy to regenerate heart muscle after myocardial infarction (MI). Commonly referred to as a heart attack, MI is the number one cause of death for men and women in the United States and results in more deaths each year than all cancers combined.
HeartCare Study Tests Genetic Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Innovation at the Point of Care is Closing the Loop in Bench to Bedside Medicine



Phase 3 Clinical Trial Results Demonstrate Promising Stem Cell Treatment Options for Patients with Persistent Heart Failure

At the American Heart Association 2021 Scientific Sessions gathering in Dallas, Texas, Texas Heart Institute Medical Director Emerson C. Perin, MD, PhD, presented substantial research findings from a randomized, controlled phase 3 clinical trial performed in 565 patients with class II and class III persistent heart failure. Dr. Perin was the study’s co-principal investigator.
- Stem cell treatment reduced the rate of death related to cardiovascular issues by 80% in patients with high levels of inflammation and less damaged hearts (NYHA class II heart failure).
- Among patients with heart failure and high levels of inflammation, heart attack and stroke rates dropped 79% after stem cell treatment.
- All patients with heart failure treated with stem cells had a 65% reduction in the rate of non-fatal heart attack and stroke.
- Adults with heart failure who received stem cell treatment did not see a reduction in recurrent, decompensated heart failure events.
New Clinical Trial at the Texas Heart Institute Explores Heart Failure Treatment After Myocardial Infarction
“Participating in the ALIVE Trial enables us to be on the front lines of research into the most innovative therapies with the potential to help patients suffering from the limitations of heart failure,” says Emerson Perin MD, PhD, medical director of the Texas Heart Institute.

Complex Valvular Heart Disease Clinic

Sharing Science Globally to Advance Medicine

Stephanie Coulter, MD

Ourania Preventza, MD, MBA
New Esophageal Suction and Deformation Device to Protect Patients from Atrioesophageal Fistula
NIH awards funding to the Center of Excellence for Diseases of the Aorta
Testing Portable Organ Care System Devices for Improving Lung Transplant Outcomes

Partnering Nationally to Launch the Portable ECMO Unit
Thoracic Surgeon and Surgical Oncologists Launch Proteomic Research for Mesothelioma Checkpoint Blockade Treatment
Dr. Burt is a Harvard-trained thoracic surgeon and surgical oncologist who prides himself on providing the highest level of care for his patients, without exception. He is a minimally invasive robotic surgeon and surgical innovator who thrives in the art and science of multidisciplinary patient care.
