Cardiac Surgery

The Division of Cardiac Surgery provides consultative and therapeutic services for the surgical treatment of cardiac, pulmonary and esophageal diseases. We offer a full complement of cardiac services for acquired heart disease, congenital heart disease and transplantation. We offer minimally invasive and robotic surgeries, including minimally invasive, robotic mitral valve surgery. Referrals for cardiac services can be made to individual faculty members, or may be channeled through the general information and referral service of the division office. Referrals for transplantation are made through the transplant programs listed. View our clinical trials >

UCLA Health Designated Center of Excellence in Mitral Valve Repair Surgery

Richard J. Shemin, MD, is an internationally recognized Cardiac Surgeon known for innovation and quality improvement. He is Chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery at David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

The American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation have recognized UCLA Health as one of the top 20 U. S. Hospitals for mitral valve repair surgery. UCLA Health is one of only two hospitals in the West to receive the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award; a collaborative recognition program of the American Heart Associaton and Mitral Foundation.

The award recognizes best practices in mitral valve repair to treat severe mitral valve prolapse. The two organizations established the designation to provide objective data to encourage more patients to receive valve repair rather than mitral valve replacement. It also guides referring physicians to the best surgeons and hospitals to evaluate and treat their patients with mitral valve problems.

The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association recommend mitral valve repair over replacement whenever possible to achieve best short- and long-term results.

“For optimal outcomes, Mitral Valve Repair should be performed at Centers of Excellence with experienced surgeons that have the skills to perform these procedures with low risk and provide high quality and durable results” said Dr. Richard J. Shemin, Robert and Kelly Day Distinguished Professor, Vice Chairman of Surgery and Chief of Cardiac Surgery at UCLA.