Our clinical team achieved remarkable milestones this year across a spectrum of surgical diseases. This past Spring, Dr. Kenneth Liao performed the world’s first adult fully-robotic heart transplantation in a middle-aged gentleman with severe end-stage heart failure. Dr. Liao is now also closing in on performing nearly one thousand robotic heart surgery procedures—one of the highest volume programs in the nation. Dr. Vivek Patel, a recent graduate of our training programs, likewise performed the first robotic heart surgery ever at Baylor St. Luke’s-The Woodlands and is approaching a dozen such procedures (the only robotic heart experience in Southeast Texas outside of the Texas Medical Center).
We also received top honors from U.S. News & World Report in 19 of 23 recognized procedures and were also recognized as a “Best Hospital” for both our cardiac surgery and GI surgery programs at our primary teaching hospital, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. This places us in the top 2% of hospitals nationally.
The Department of Surgery continues to lead our march to excellence at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, this year spearheading the opening of beautiful new inpatient and outpatient surgical facilities on our McNair Campus and at our O’Quinn Tower of Medicine adjacent to the new Texas Medical Center Helix Park for Medical Science Translation.
Our trauma program at Ben Taub Hospital also received top ranking in the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) and our ongoing successes at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center was highlighted this year by the launch of a new bariatric surgery program by Dr. Amelia Lucisano.
Pediatric Surgery
For information about our pediatric surgical service, please see Texas Children's Hospital Surgery.
