Press Releases

CHICAGO, April 28, 2025 — The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) today announced the launch of its latest surgical risk calculator designed for patients undergoing ascending aorta and aortic root surgery, with or without concomitant aortic valve replacement (AVR). This first-of-its-kind tool represents a major step forward in risk stratification and personalized surgical planning for complex aortic operations.

CHICAGO – April 10, 2025 – A new study published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the flagship journal from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, suggests that Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act has significantly improved access to timely treatment and high-volume hospitals for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These findings underscore the critical role of healthcare policy in delivering quality oncologic care.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is deeply concerned about the proposed cuts to NIH-supported medical research through arbitrary caps on facilities and administrative (“indirect”) costs. STS applauds the nationwide temporary restraining order that has blocked these harmful changes.

Cutting indirect expense funding threatens the infrastructure that makes lifesaving research and innovation possible. Without it, academic institutions will struggle to conduct high-impact studies, delaying advancements in the specialty of cardiothoracic surgery.

LOS ANGELES—January 26, 2025—As contemporary surgical practice continues to evolve, patients who undergo surgical lung volume reduction (LVRS) for advanced emphysema may survive longer and with fewer complications than they did in the past—and they may even fare better than those who opt for endobronchial valve (EBV) placement.

LOS ANGELES —January 26, 2025 — Young patients who have undergone the Ross procedure for aortic valve disease have shown excellent long-term survival, the majority without the need for additional surgery two decades later.

These findings, presented today at the 61st annual meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), were the result of a 22-year study at the Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Bengaluru, India. 

LOS ANGELES January 26, 2025 - The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is pleased to announce the election of Joseph F. Sabik III, MD, as its President for the 2025 term. Dr. Sabik, a cardiothoracic surgeon with University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, currently serves as Chair of the Department of Surgery at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center; Surgeon-in-Chief at University Hospitals Health System; Oliver H.

LOS ANGELES—January 25, 2025—A late-breaking study presented today at the 2025 Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Annual Meeting reveals that mechanical aortic valve replacements (AVRs) provide significant long-term survival benefits for patients aged 60 and younger compared to bioprosthetic valves. The study, leveraging data from the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), offers the most comprehensive analysis to date of prosthetic valve outcomes, encompassing over 100,000 patients.

LOS ANGELES—January 25, 2025 New research presented at the 2025 Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Annual Meeting reveals that anatomic lung resections, such as lobectomy and segmentectomy, are associated with improved long-term survival compared to wedge resection for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

LOS ANGELES—January 24, 2025—In patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), a novel analysis evaluating surgeon preference for multi- versus single-arterial grafting may help explain the differing results between prior retrospective analyses and randomized controlled trials regarding long-term survival.

CHICAGO, IL – December 10, 2024 – Annals of Thoracic Surgery Short Reports (Annals Short Reports), The Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ peer-reviewed, open-access journal, has been accepted for indexing in PubMed Central,¹  expanding its reach and impact within the global medical community. Beginning in early 2025, all articles that have been published in Annals Short Reports will be indexed and viewable and included in general search results on PubMed/MEDLINE.

CHICAGO, IL – October 17, 2024 – The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) announces the release of two new risk calculators to inform physician-patient decision-making in thoracic surgery. Engineered using contemporary data from the STS General Thoracic Surgery Database, these interactive tools provide surgeons with accurate, preoperative risk estimations for outcomes of esophagectomy for cancer and pulmonary resection for lung cancer. 

Washington, DC - Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed rule for the CY 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. In this proposal, CMS again recommends substantial cuts to physician reimbursements. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is concerned that recurring significant cuts will endanger patient care and undermine the financial stability of cardiothoracic surgery practices and hospitals.