UT Southwestern cardiothoracic surgeons serve as active primary investigators for national and international research studies. Through their active leadership roles and involvement in cutting edge trials, such as XVIVO, TAVR, LVAD, and atrial fibrillation studies, our physicians have been at the forefront of testing new devices and approaches.

Evaluation of the Heartware Ventricular Assist System for the treatment of advanced heart failure

UT Southwestern continues to evaluate long term follow-up data from patients who received the HeartWare Ventricular Assist System as part of an investigational trial. The FDA has approved the HeartWare device for use in treating advanced left ventricular heart failure for individuals awaiting heart transplantation and as part of the FDA approval process. Additional long term follow-up data collection continues here at UT Southwestern.

XVIVO Perfusion System with STEEN Solution Perfusate

UT Southwestern is actively using the XVIVO system under Humanitarian Use to potentially utilize initially unacceptable excised donor lungs which are often discarded despite the relatively reversible nature of their imperfections. The ultimate objective of the EVLP procedure is to expand the donor organ pool and thus possibly reduce mortality and morbidity on the transplant waiting list.

The National Pediatric Heart Transplant Study Group

Involving a group of 21 pediatric heart transplant centers, the study examines outcomes of heart transplantation in the pediatric population.

Pumps for Kids, Infants, and Neonates (PumpKIN) Clinical Trial

A feasibility sponsored by The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to evaluate the feasibility of circulatory support in pediatric heart failure patients using the Jarvik 2015 Ventricular Access Device.

Outcomes following myocardial revascularization: On and off cardiopulmonary bypass (ROOBY)

The ROOBY study is a multicenter Veterans Affairs cooperative trial with true randomization of equivalent patients into on- or off-pump coronary revascularization. Continued sub-studies are being conducted following the publication of the primary results in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Specialized program of research excellence (SPORE): Biomarkers for the early detection and chemoprevention of lung cancer

This National Institutes of Health-sponsored program provides translational research between the basic science laboratory of Dr. John Minna with the clinical expertise of the thoracic oncology physicians.

Interagency registry of mechanically-assisted circulatory support (INTERMACS)

INTERMACS is a multi-institutional registry sponsored by the National Institutes of Health to continually track, report, and improve the results of patients undergoing implantation of ventricular assist devices.

ON-X Prosthetic Heart Valve Low Dose Warfarin Clinical Registry

UT Southwestern is active in studying the occurrence of bleeding, valve-related thromboembolism, and valve thrombosis with the ON-X Prosthetic heart valve in the mitral and aortic position. The study is designed to monitor patients’ anticoagulation over a five-year period.

PerClot Polysaccharide Hemostatic System

PerClot is a powdered mechanism used in surgery to stop bleeding. PerClot is a topical hemostat material applied to stop bleeding and is open for clinical trial enrollment at UT Southwestern.