The Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center's multi-specialty Surgical Service operates adult cardiac and general thoracic surgery divisions that are recognized as among the most successful in the Veterans Affairs national hospital system. The cardiac program accepts high difficulty, high risk referrals from throughout the country. The service is the leading participant in a pioneering national study of transmyocardial revascularization with surgical lasers in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. Baylor medical students, thoracic surgery residents, and post-graduate fellows receive outstanding training in the operating rooms, research laboratories, and classrooms of the College's Houston VA Medical Center affiliate. The Methodist Hospital has sections of adult cardiac surgery, general thoracic surgery, and thoracic transplantation.
Clinical initiatives continue in all sections.
In the Section of Adult Cardiac Surgery, Dr. Michael Reardon serves as principal investigator of transmyocardial laser revascularization of the heart as an adjunct to coronary bypass with Dr. Rafael Espada serving as co-principal investigator on the study. Additionally, Dr. Espada is a principal investigator of the NIH National Emphysema Treatment Trial of which the initial patient recruiting of surgeries has been completed. Baylor College of Medicine is one of 18 centers nationwide and the only center in the south-central United States to participate in this study. Dr. Michael Reardon serves as co-principal investigator on this study. Laboratory research into genetic knockouts of the surfactant receptor protein gene to study surfactant homeostasis in the lung has been initiated by Dr. Albert Chang under the direction of Dr. Michael Reardon.