Current Projects

Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (PUF)

Principal Investigator	Proposal Title	Project Status
Mark Slaughter University of Louisville	Is mechanical unloading better than coronary artery bypass in ischemic cardiomyopathy patients with low ejection fraction?	Analysis
Joanna Chikwe Cedars-Sinai Medical Center	Efficacy of mitral valve surgery after attempted transcatheter mitral repair	Analysis
Daniel Rinewalt Brigham and Women’s Hospital	Association of temporary mechanical circulatory support device use with ortality and adverse post-operative outcomes among patients with acute decompensated heart failure-related cardiogenic shock undergoing HT or durable VAD placement	Analysis
Arman Arghami Mayo Clinic	Comparing administrative (NIS/HCUP) database with clinical registry (STS) on postcardiac surgical outcomes	Approved
Andreas de Biasi University of Wisconsin Hospitals	Impact of illicit drug use in acute Type A aortic dissection	Analysis
Natalia Ivascu New York Presbyterian Hospital–Weill Cornell Medicine	Single red cell unit transfusion in cardiac surgical patients	Analysis
Shinichi Fukuhara University of Michigan	Non-aortic valve cardiac surgery in patients with transcatheter aortic bioprosthesis	Analysis
Aamir Shah Cedars-Sinai Medical Center	Contemporary outcomes of open surgical repair for the descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aorta: An analysis of the STS National Database	Approved
Michael Mazzeffi University of Maryland	RBC transfusion and postoperative infection risk in patients having coronary artery bypass grafting	Approved
Jacob Raphael University of Virginia	Delineating thromboembolic complications after RBC transfusion in cardiac surgery patients	Approved
Hari Mallidi Brigham and Women’s Hospital	The effect of the 2018 UNOS donor heart allocation policy change on cardiac transplantation and durable LVAD implantation in women	Analysis
Marisa Cevasco University of Pennsylvania	Disparities in mitral valve surgery	Analysis
Emily MacKay University of Pennsylvania	Transesophageal echocardiography in open cardiac valve and proximal aortic surgery: Practice patterns and impact on clinical outcomes	Analysis
Tom Nguyen University of Texas Health Science Center Houston	Trends and outcomes in adult cardiac surgery patients during the COVID pandemic	Abstract
Arminder Jassar Massachusetts General Hospital	Correlation of hypothermic circulatory arrest duration and temperature with acute renal failure after aortic arch surgery	Abstract
Thomas Bilfinger Stony Brook University School of Medicine	Single versus multi-center surgeons' risk-adjusted mitral valve repair procedural outcomes (SURGEON MVR)	Approved
Henry Tannous Stony Brook University School of Medicine	Impact of coronary artery bypass graft clinical science research: The off-pump/on-pump treatment experience	Analysis
Gabor Bagameri Mayo Clinic	Comparison of the neurological outcomes after aortic arch repair: Endovascular approach vs. the standard of care (Open Repair)	Analysis
Frederick Lombard Vanderbilt University Medical Center	Intraoperative processed EEG and delirium, neurologic complications and mortality after cardiac surgery	Analysis
Neel Sodha Rhode Island Hospital	Predicting hemorrhage and thrombosis in mechanical circulatory support: A study using machine learning	Analysis
Shinichi Fukuhara University of Michigan	Surgical explantation of transcatheter aortic valve: Results and clinical implications	Manuscript
Oz Shapira Hadassah Medical Center	Changing impact of repeat CABG on operative outcomes in the last two decades: Insights from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database	Manuscript
Anju Nohria Brigham and Women's Hospital	Comparative outcomes of SAVR vs. TAVR in mediastinal radiation-associated aortic valve disease	Manuscript
Bradley Taylor University of Maryland	Impact of revascularization technique on the risk of stroke and mortality during coronary artery bypass grafting: The analysis of the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database	Abstract
Victor Nauffal Brigham and Women’s Hospital	Novel oral anticoagulants versus Warfarin for post-cardiac surgery atrial fibrillation	Manuscript
Miklos Kertai Vanderbilt University Medical Center	Intraoperative and postoperative dexmedetomidine and delirium, severity of postoperative pain and outcomes after cardiac surgery	Manuscript
Jonathan Haft University of Michigan	Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH)	Manuscript
Ankur Kalra Cleveland Clinic Foundation	Direct oral anticoagulants and mechanical valves: Trends in utilization and outcomes	Manuscript
Hartzell Schaff Mayo Clinic	Center volume and surgical outcomes in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: What impacts outcomes?	Analysis
Brent Keeling Emory University School of Medicine	Trends in emergency coronary artery bypass surgery	Manuscript
Tom Nguyen University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, McGovern Medical School	Nationwide outcomes of less invasive mitral surgery versus conventional sternotomy: Analysis of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database	Manuscript
Daniel Engelman University of Massachusetts – Baystate	Skeletonized versus pedicled bilateral internal thoracic arteries harvesting – effects on peri-operative outcomes: Analysis of the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database	Manuscript
Ravi Ghanta Baylor College of Medicine	Outcomes of aortic valve surgery for chronic aortic regurgitation	Manuscript
Thomas Gleason University of Pittsburgh Medical Center	Trends and outcomes of mitral valve surgery for papillary muscle rupture: An analysis of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database	Manuscript
Robert Hagberg Hartford Hospital	Machine learning methods for mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery	Manuscript
Derek R. Brinster Lenox Hill Hospital	Transfusion requirements in aortic root replacement	Manuscript
Michael J. Mack The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano	Predicted risk of transfusion in isolated AVR	Analysis
Harlan M. Krumholz Yale New-Haven Hospital	Using machine learning to update perioperative risk models with incorporating intraoperative data	Manuscript
James R. Edgerton The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano	Predicted risk of transfusion in isolated CABG	Manuscript
Michael P. Macris Memorial Hermann Health System	The impact of time interval between coronary angiography and cardiopulmonary bypass on acute kidney injury	Manuscript
Thomas Kelley Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center	Effect of a balanced transfusion ratio on survival in patients in hemorrhagic shock after cardiac surgery	Manuscript
Dan Loberman Brigham and Women’s Hospital	Myocardial preservation in minimal invasive mitral valve surgery	Manuscript
Giovanni Filardo The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano	Predicted risk of transfusion in isolated MVR and MV repair	Analysis
Joseph F. Sabik III University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center	Trends in use of FFR in patients undergoing surgical revascularization: Insights from the STS National Database	Manuscript
Thomas A. Schwann Baystate Health	Elucidating surgeon and institutional volume – Outcome effects for multi-arterial and single-arterial coronary artery bypass grafting strategies	Analysis
Matthew Williams University of Pennsylvania	Measuring the learning curve	Manuscript
M. Scott Halbreiner Allegheny General Hospital	Use of skeletonized versus pedicled internal thoracic artery: Is there a correlation with sternal wound infection	Manuscript
David L. Joyce Medical College of Wisconsin	Minimally invasive versus conventional single vessel LIMA-LAD bypass grafting: A comparison of surgical outcomes from the STS National Database	Abstract
Zain I. Khalpey University of Arizona	Predictive strategies for the prevention of disease outcomes	Analysis
Arman Kilic University of Pittsburgh Medical Center	Evaluating the predictive capabilities of machine learning algorithms in isolated aortic valve replacement	Manuscript
Arnar Geirsson Yale School of Medicine	Pattern and predictors of oral anticoagulant and antiplatelet use following aortic valve replacement and mitral valve surgery	Manuscript

Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (A&P)

Principal Investigator	Proposal Title	Project Status
Tsuyoshi Kaneko Brigham and Women's Hospital	Benchmarking outcomes of surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with bicuspid aortic valves: An analysis of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database	Analysis
Peter Smith Duke University Medical Center	Validating a consumer-directed hospital rating system with the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database	Analysis
George Arnaoutakis University of Florida	The effect of the COVID-19 epidemic upon patterns of presentation and outcomes of acute aortic dissection	Analysis
Gabriele Di Luozzo Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital	Nationwide trends and outcomes in the usage of adjuncts for spinal cord protection in patients undergoing open surgery for the descending thoracic or thoraco-abdominal aorta: 20-year analysis of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (FUTURE ANALYSIS)	Approved
Robert S. D. Higgins Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine	Utilization and outcomes of intra-operative transesophageal echocardiography during cardiac surgery: A national study from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database	Manuscript
Joseph Sabik University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center	Anticoagulation in postoperative atrial fibrillation: Effect of the CHA2DS2-VASc score on practice patterns and outcomes	Abstract
Matthew Williams University of Pennsylvania	Coronary artery bypass grafting with adjunct coronary endarterectomy: An analysis of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database	Manuscript
Gorav Ailawadi University of Virginia	Association between surgical volume and annular enlargement outcomes	Manuscript
Danny Chu University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine	Optimal temperature for aortic hemiarch replacement Procedure with antegrade cerebral perfusion strategy: How warm is too warm?	Abstract
Robert Hooker INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center	Prosthetic valve endocarditis In aortic valve surgery: The North American experience	Manuscript
Jennifer Lawton Johns Hopkins Division of Cardiac Surgery	Gender disparities in surgical coronary revascularization	Manuscript
Thomas Schwann University of Massachusetts - Baystate	The effects of peri-operative transfusions on intermediate term mortality in Medicare patients undergoing CABG – A report from the STS Cardiac Surgery Database 2011-2018	Analysis
Nicholas Teman University of Virginia	Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation vs. right ventricular assist device for LVAD implant related right ventricular failure	Manuscript
Vinod Thourani Medstar Heart and Vascular Institute	Outcomes in patients undergoing mitral valve operations for ischemic mitral regurgitation in the United States	Analysis
Wilson Szeto University of Pennsylvania	Outcomes with elective open aortic valve replacement in patients with moderate or greater mitral regurgitation	Manuscript
Thomas Bilfinger Stony Brook University School of Medicine	Acute Type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) Repair in the US: An STS National Database Report (FUTURE ANALYSIS)	Approved
Prashanth Vallabhajosyula University of Pennsylvania	Traditional total aortic arch replacement versus hybrid arch repair	Manuscript
Chad Hughes Duke University Medical Center	Contemporary results of aortic root operations in the United States	Manuscript
Carmelo A. Milano Duke University Medical Center	Does duration of left ventricular assist device support have an effect on orthotopic heart transplantation outcomes?	Manuscript
George Tolis Massachusetts General Hospital	TEVAR vs open repair of descending thoracic aortic pathology: Long-term outcomes	Manuscript
Vinod Thourani Medstar Heart and Vascular Institute	Relationship of volume and outcomes in those patients undergoing AVR ± CABG in the US	Manuscript

General Thoracic Surgery Database (PUF)

Principal Investigator	Proposal Title	Project Status
Mark Ferguson University of Chicago	Predictive value of modified frailty index in postoperative outcomes following major oncologic lung resection and the abrogation effect of VATS approach on modified frailty index	Approved
Henning Gaissert Massachusetts General Hospital	Center level variation and association of nodal sampling and clinical nodal assessment	Analysis
Jacob Klapper Duke University Medical Center	Perioperative outcomes of thymectomy for patients with myasthenia gravis	Manuscript
Elisabeth Dexter Massachusetts General Hospital	Is increasing operative duration associated with worse analysis outcomes for lung resection?	Manuscript
Christopher Seder Rush University Medical Center	Impact of obesity on conversion to thoracotomy in video-assisted vs robotic-assisted pulmonary resections	Manuscript
Mark Allen Mayo Clinic	A study of thoracic surgeon bias in lung cancer surgery	Manuscript
Peter Kneuertz The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center	Trends and outcomes of pulmonary segmentectomy for non-small cell lung cancer by robotic, video-assisted thoracoscopic, and thoracotomy approach in the STS National Database	Abstract
K. Robert Shen Mayo Clinic	Patterns of care and outcomes following lung volume reduction surgery in the United States	Manuscript
Brandon H. Tieu Oregon Health & Science University	Chylothorax after esophagectomy: A review of the STS National Database	Manuscript
Matthew A. Facktor Geisinger Medical Center	ProvenCare^® lung cancer collaborative	Manuscript
Ikenna C. Okereke University of Texas Medical Branch	Outcomes after surgical lung biopsy: An analysis of the STS National Database	Approved
Christopher R. Morse Massachusetts General Hospital	Role of increasing obesity in perioperative pathologic staging following resection of primary esophageal cancer	Manuscript
Douglas J. Mathisen Massachusetts General Hospital	Predictors and impact of extended lymphadenectomy on outcomes following esophagectomy for primary esophageal cancer	Manuscript
Nicholas Arndt Rush University Medical Center	Redefining the risk of surgery for Stage IIIA (N2) non-small cell lung cancer: An analysis of the STS General Thoracic Surgery Database	Manuscript

General Thoracic Surgery Database (A&P)

Principal Investigator	Proposal Title	Project Status
Stephanie Worrell University Hospitals	The impact of diabetes on pathologic response to multi-modality therapy for esophageal cancer	Analysis
Cherie Erkmen Temple University Health System	Clinical-pathologic stage discordance in early esophageal cancer	Approved
Daniel Miller and Elliot Servais Wellstar Health System/Lahey Hospital and Medical Center	Quality assessment of reasons for open conversion during minimally invasive (thoracoscopic and robotic) lung resection and the associated morbidity and mortality	Manuscript
Phillip Linden University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center	Perioperative risk of each individual lobectomy	Manuscript
David Harpole Duke University	Open versus minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum	Manuscript
Nathaniel R. Evans Thomas Jefferson University Hospital	Predictors of prolonged air leak and chest tube duration after lobectomy	Manuscript
Manu S. Sancheti Emory University School of Medicine	Socioeconomic disparities impact outcomes of lung cancer resection, a review of the STS National Database	Manuscript

Congenital Heart Surgery Database (PUF)

Principal Investigator	Proposal Title	Project Status
Joanne Starr CHOC Children's Hospital	Relationship between temperature and perfusion strategies and neurological outcomes in neonatal congenital heart surgery	Approved
Shriprasad Deshpande Children’s National Medical Center	Transitioning from temporary support to VAD support in pediatric patients: Perioperative morbidity and outcomes	Approved
Jennifer Nelson Nemours Children’s Hospital	Development of a current ACHD mortality risk score and comparison to current STS-PROM and STAT mortality assessments	Abstract
Henry Walters Children’s Hospital of Michigan	Outcomes in patients with sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease	Analysis
Viviane Nasr Boston Children’s Hospital	The geographic distribution of pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists relative to cardiac surgeons and pediatric cardiac surgeries in the United States	Analysis
Martina Steurer Benioff Children's Hospital, UCSF	Associations between attained fetal growth and early postoperative outcomes in neonates with congenital heart disease	Manuscript
Nicole D. Zantek University of Minnesota	Risk factors for platelet transfusion and impact of platelet transfusions on outcomes in patients undergoing congenital heart surgery	Analysis

Congenital Heart Surgery Database (A&P)

Principal Investigator	Proposal Title	Project Status
Marshall Jacobs Johns Hopkins School of Medicine	Staged operative strategies in CHSD	Manuscript
David Bichell Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt	Surgical management of congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries: Practice patterns and outcomes	Abstract
Victor Morell Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh	Delineating the optimal operative approach for treating patients with transposition of the great arteries with ventricular septal defects and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction	Manuscript
Justin Long Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta/Emory University	Higher postoperative hematocrit and increased adverse outcomes in pediatric cardiac surgery patients	Manuscript
James Tweddell Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center	Outcomes of airway disease patients undergoing congenital cardiac surgery	Manuscript
Andrew Lodge Duke University School of Medicine	Factors associated with adverse outcomes in patients undergoing Fontan revision surgery	Manuscript
Jeffrey P. Jacobs University of Florida	Creation and evaluation of a case mix index for pediatric and congenital cardiac surgery	Analysis
Ram Kumar Subramanyan Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles	Surgical outcomes following repair of tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve syndrome	Analysis
Robert D. B. Jaquiss Duke University Medical Center	Post-operative cardiac catheterization in children undergoing congenital heart surgery: An analysis of the STS Congenital Heart Surgery Database	Manuscript

Intermacs/Pedimacs Database (PUF)

Principal Investigator	Proposal Title	Project Status
Eric Adler University of California-San Diego	Machine learning for prognostication in advanced heart failure	Approved
Francis Pagani University of Michigan	Impact of center transplant availability on receipt of transplant after durable LVAD	Approved
Michael Pienta University of Michigan	Variation in major adverse events after durable LVAD implantation	Approved
Randall Starling Cleveland Clinic	Post-implant phosphodiesterase Type 5 inhibitors use	Analysis
Amin Yehya Sentara Heart Hospital	Characterization of outcomes in LVAD recipients with human immunodeficiency virus	Analysis
Renzo Loyaga-Rendon Spectrum Health	Risk score development for stratification of survival in patients undergoing durable mechanical circulatory support: An STS Intermacs Database analysis	Analysis
Themistokles Chamogeorgakis University of Michigan	Right ventricular support in the context of biventricular failure: An Intermacs analysis	Abstract
Jerry Estep Cleveland Clinic	Predictors of hospital readmission burden and survival analysis in patients with contemporary continuous flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD)	Abstract
Lucian Lozonschi Medical University of South Carolina	Ventricular arrhythmia post cf-left ventricular assist device placement – Trends within the STS Intermacs in the contemporary era	Analysis
Meredith Brisco-Bacik Temple University	Prevalence, predictors and prognostic importance of changes in renal function following continuous flow left ventricular assist device support: An Intermacs analysis	Analysis
Sameed Khatana Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania	Trends in durable ventricular assist device implantation rates with the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion and association of post-implantation outcomes with payor type	Manuscript
Duc Thinh Pham Northwestern University	Risk assessment model for wait list mortality in left ventricular assist device patients	Analysis
Edward Grandin Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	Assessing the impact of beta-blockers on late right heart failure and survival after left ventricular assist device implantation (PUF)	Manuscript
Karen Uzark University of Michigan	Quality of life in children on ventricular assist device (VAD) support: Analysis from Pedimacs	Abstract

Please click here for additional information about current Intermacs projects in the A&P/PUF tracks.

Intermacs/Pedimacs Database (A&P)

Principal Investigator	Proposal Title	Project Status
Joanna Chikwe Cedars-Sinai Medical Center	Contemporary outcomes of ventricular assist devices in the treatment of geriatric heart failure	Manuscript
Lynne Stevenson Vanderbilt University Medical Center	Pre-implant Left Ventricular Assist Device strategies and subsequent short and long-term outcomes – A second look	Abstract
Francis Pagani University of Michigan	Generalizability of MOMENTUM 3 clinical trial results to the “real world” Intermacs Experience	Manuscript
David Morales Cincinnati Children's	Outcomes after ventricular assist device implantation in patients with Fontan palliation	Abstract
James Bergin University of Virginia	Defining a phenotype for failure in bridge to transplant LVAD therapy	Manuscript
Kenan Yount University of Virginia	Effects of preoperative or postoperative dialysis on LVAD outcomes, patient survival, progression to transplantation and quality of life	Manuscript
Sung Min-Cho Johns Hopkins	Real-world data of stroke in HeartMate 3, HeartMate II, and HeartWare and impact of center characteristics on stroke outcomes: An Intermacs analysis (Approved as joint collaborative proposal with John Kern)	Manuscript
John Kern University of Virginia	Major adverse neurological event rate by centrifugal vs axial flow device in the modern era (Approved as joint collaborative project with Sung Min-Cho)	Abstract
Shahnawaz Amdani Cleveland Clinic	Model for end-stage liver disease excluding INR (MELD-XI) score predicts outcomes in pediatric patients supported with ventricular assist device: An analysis of the Pedimacs registry	Abstract
Francisco Arabia Banner Health/University of Arizona	Heart transplant outcomes post total artificial heart BTT	Abstract
Jennifer Cowger Henry Ford Hospital	Ventricular assist device patient phenotypes: What attributes describe long-term survival?	Manuscript
Robert Niebler Medical College of Wisconsin	Incidence and outcomes of, and risk factors for, neurological adverse events in children support with ventricular assist devices	Manuscript
Josef Stehlik University of Utah School of Medicine	Mortality by body mass index in adult heart transplant recipients – Direct to transplant vs. mechanical circulatory support bridge strategy	Abstract
Bryan Whitson The Ohio State University	Assessing the impact of surgical implant approach on perioperative right ventricular failure associated with left ventricular assist devices	Manuscript

Please click here for additional information about current Intermacs projects in the A&P/PUF tracks.