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UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute Innovations

Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute is a recognized leader in cardiovascular care, with a rich history in clinical research and innovation.

We're proud of the contributions and accomplishments that have allowed us to improve the lives of many of our patients.

Contact the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute

To request an appointment, contact the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute:

Accomplishments and Experience

As one of the first heart transplant centers in the United States, UPMC has made significant contributions to the advancement of cardiovascular medicine.

  • UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside is nationally ranked in cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report.
  • UPMC was the first hospital to successfully discharge a patient with a ventricular-assist device (VAD).
  • Our surgeons implanted one of the first left VADs into the heart cavity instead of in the abdomen — a less invasive surgery with a lower risk for bleeding and infection.
  • UPMC cardiac surgeons performed the first minimally invasive direct coronary bypass (MIDCAB) graft in the tristate (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia) region.
  • Experts in our Division of Vascular Surgery specialize in minimally invasive procedures, which many of our faculty helped to pioneer for the treatment of the entire vascular system.
  • UPMC's Cardiac Catheterization Program is one of the nation's largest in terms of patient volume. Our experts perform more than 23,000 diagnostic and interventional procedures each year. 
  • Experts at the UPMC Center for Aortic Disease have performed more than 2,000 transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures, making UPMC the most experienced TAVR center in the region.
  • UPMC became the first center in western Pennsylvania to offer the WATCHMANTM device for stroke prevention in select patients with atrial fibrillation.
  • The UPMC Heart and Lung Transplant Program is one of the few nationwide to have performed more than 1,400 adult cardiac transplants and 1,600 adult lung or heart-lung transplants — making it one of the most experienced in the world.
  • Our Artificial Heart Program — one of the nation’s oldest and most active — has treated more than 1,200 people over the past 20 years with mechanical circulatory support devices.
  • UPMC Presbyterian is ranked among American's Best Hospitals for Heart Care by the Women's Choice Award. The ratings are based on our cardiac and vascular experience, as well as our 30-day mortality and readmission rates for heart attacks and heart failure with additional consideration given to patient satisfaction scores.
  • UPMC became the first center in Western Pennsylvania to use a fully dissolving heart stent, the first of its kind approved by the FDA.

Innovative Therapies and Research

Our clinicians, surgeons, and physician researchers are exploring and employing the latest technologies and treatments to find new and better ways to treat our patients.