Heart Surgery News and Research

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Heart surgery is done to correct problems with the heart. More than half a million heart surgeries are done each year in the United States for a variety of heart problems. Heart surgery is used to correct heart problems in children and adults. This article discusses heart surgeries for adults. For more information about heart surgeries for children, see the Diseases and Conditions Index articles on congenital heart defects, holes in the heart, and tetralogy of Fallot.

The most common type of heart surgery for adults is coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). During CABG, surgeons use healthy arteries or veins taken from another part of the body to bypass (that is, go around) blocked arteries. CABG relieves chest pain and reduces the risk of heart attack.

Major trial questions the need for invasive monitoring in heart surgery

Australians undergoing open-heart surgery could soon benefit from safer, simpler care and get home earlier thanks to the results of a world-first clinical trial led by Monash University's Victorian Heart Institute.

21 Jan 2026

New $8.5 million renewal grant fuels research on children's heart health

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai an $8.5 million renewal grant to continue groundbreaking work aimed at understanding and improving long-term outcomes for children with congenital heart disease-the most common type of birth defect in the United States.

7 Jan 2026

Researchers successfully perform coronary artery bypass without cutting the chest wall

In a world-first, a team of researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, has successfully performed a coronary artery bypass - a normally open-heart surgery - without cutting the chest wall.

6 Jan 2026

Study highlights limitations of current cardiac screening tools

Current cardiac screening tools used to prevent heart attacks fail to identify nearly half of the people who are actually at risk of having one, according to a new study led by Mount Sinai researchers.

22 Nov 2025

Potential breakthrough in treating acute kidney injury with ceramide-targeting drugs

Serious damage to short-term kidney function-known as acute kidney injury, or AKI-can be fatal and also increase the risk of irreversible chronic kidney disease. It can be triggered by stressors ranging from sepsis to heart surgery, and it affects more than half of ICU patients.

12 Nov 2025

Study examines medication adherence in high-risk, low-income populations

People with high blood pressure were twice as likely to take their blood pressure medication regularly when offered daily chances to win cash rewards, yet they did not achieve better blood pressure measurements than people who were not offered financial rewards, a new study shows.

11 Nov 2025

Comparative study finds higher rates of adverse events with ticagrelor

One year of treatment with either of two strong blood-thinning medications—ticagrelor and prasugrel—by people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who had a drug-eluting stent placed in their heart to treat coronary artery blockages did not offer the same level of benefit to prevent stent clotting, heart attacks, and bleeding complications, according to findings presented during a preliminary late-breaking science session during the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans on November 10.

10 Nov 2025

Mayo Clinic scientists create stem cell patch to heal hearts without surgery

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a pioneering method to mend damaged hearts without open-heart surgery, an advance that could one day transform the treatment of heart failure.

5 Nov 2025

Flexible drug-delivery patch can promote tissue healing after a heart attack

MIT engineers have developed a flexible drug-delivery patch that can be placed on the heart after a heart attack to help promote healing and regeneration of cardiac tissue.

4 Nov 2025

Fewer women participate in cardiac rehabilitation, despite a slew of benefits

For someone who has heart surgery or experiences a major cardiovascular event, cardiac rehabilitation can significantly improve their short and long term recovery.

3 Nov 2025

Sirolimus-eluting balloon emerges as a safe and effective option for coronary in-stent restenosis

A new drug-eluting balloon can perform just as well as the standard treatment for patients with coronary in-stent restenosis (ISR) undergoing repeated percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

31 Oct 2025

Experts review the evidence on coenzyme Q10 and cognitive decline

Researchers reviewed evidence on coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and cognition, finding strong biological support and positive results in animal models but mixed outcomes in human trials. Larger, high-quality studies are needed to clarify whether CoQ10 can protect against cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.

9 Sep 2025

Advances in ultrasound improve prenatal detection of congenital heart disease

A new study published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the journal from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, suggests that prenatal detection of congenital heart disease (CHD) has improved in recent years largely due to advances in ultrasound screening practices.

2 Sep 2025

Artificial intelligence offers individualized anticoagulation decisions for atrial fibrillation

Mount Sinai researchers developed an AI model to make individualized treatment recommendations for atrial fibrillation (AF) patients-helping clinicians accurately decide whether or not to treat them with anticoagulants (blood thinner medications) to prevent stroke, which is currently the standard treatment course in this patient population.

1 Sep 2025

Dual antiplatelet therapy after heart bypass surgery offers no added benefit over aspirin alone

Dual antiplatelet therapy after heart bypass surgery is not more effective than aspirin alone - and it increases the risk of excessive bleeding. This has now been shown in a study of 2,201 patients at 22 Nordic heart surgery units.

1 Sep 2025

REBOOT trial finds no benefit of beta blockers after uncomplicated heart attacks

Beta blockers-drugs commonly prescribed for a range of cardiac conditions, including heart attacks-provide no clinical benefit for patients who have had an uncomplicated myocardial infarction with preserved heart function.

30 Aug 2025

Landmark robotic spine surgery advances pediatric orthopedic care at Ochsner Children’s

Ochsner Children's has achieved a major milestone by performing the first robotic-assisted pediatric spine deformity surgery in Louisiana and the Gulf South.

18 Aug 2025

TEER shows promising outcomes in elderly patients with atrial functional mitral regurgitation

The mitral valve controls blood flow between the heart's left atrium and ventricle. When structural changes affect the atrium or valve, it may not close fully-causing blood to leak backwards, a condition known as atrial functional mitral regurgitation (AFMR).

6 Aug 2025

Heart failure and atrial fibrillation at the time of mitral valve repair linked to worse outcomes

Patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation (AF) at the time of mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) for severe mitral regurgitation are more than twice as likely to die or be rehospitalized for heart failure, compared to patients without AF.

18 Jul 2025

HonorHealth study shows major breakthrough in treating structural shock

An 8-year HonorHealth Research Institute clinical trial, using non-surgical techniques, showed 86% of patients with a type of usually fatal low blood pressure known as 'structural shock' survived at least 3 months, while 73% survived at least 6 months, according to a study presented here at a major heart convention.

27 Jun 2025