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The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery is a recognized leader in heart, lung and esophagus surgery. Our experience with complex cardiothoracic issues and knowledge of the latest advances have helped to establish NewYork-Presbyterian|Weill Cornell Medicine as a major referral center for cardiovascular and thoracic patients from around the world.

2023 CT Surgery group photo

Cardiac Surgery

The Division of Cardiac Surgery provides expert care to patients who need:

  • Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
  • Valve repair/replacement
  • Aortic Aneurysm & Dissection Repaire
  • Minimally Invasive & Robotic Heart Surgery
  • Ventricular Assist Device & Heart Transplant
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Cardiac Surgery team

Thoracic Surgery

The Division of Thoracic Surgery offers the most advanced surgical care for:

  • Lung & Esophageal cancers
  • Thymoma
  • Achalasia
  • Hyperhidrosis
  • Hiatal Hernia
  • Lung Volume Reduction for Emphysema
  • Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM)
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Thoracic Surgery team

Why Choose Weill Cornell?

NewYork-Presbyterian & Weill Cornell Medicine - Cardiothoracic Surgery

New Advances

Less Invasive Early Lung Cancer Study Receives Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award

Nasser Altorki, MD

Dr. Nasser Altorki in OR

A Weill Cornell Medicine-led research team has been awarded a 2024 Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award from the Clinical Research Forum in recognition of an influential 2023 New England Journal of Medicine study on early-stage lung cancer resection.

The clinical trial results were published Feb. 9, 2023 by a team led by Dr. Nasser Altorki, chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and co-investigators from Duke University as well as investigators from 83 hospitals across the United States, Canada and Australia. The trial found that a surgery that removes only a portion of one of the five lobes that comprise a lung is as effective as removing an entire lobe for certain early-stage lung cancer patients.

Click here to learn more about the article

Up and-coming Bronchoscopic Ablation Therapies for Treatment of Lung Cancer

Click here to lean more about Dr. Ali and Dr. Musani's article

Robotic Bronchoscopy: A Major Advance in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Early-Stage Lung Cancer

Dr. Ali and Dr. Shostak


Robotic technology isn’t replacing doctors; 
it’s helping them do what they do more safely and with greater control and precision than anyone could have imagined a few short years ago.

“That’s why robotic bronchoscopy is such a game-changer,” Dr. Shostak continues. “It’s like a GPS system that gives us a virtual map telling us which way to turn next as we ‘drive’ through that maze of subdividing airways. And because the robot-assisted method allows us to travel deep into the lung and identify hard-to-reach, potentially cancerous nodules, we can perform biopsies with greater precision and lower complication rates than was previously possible. 

“Our ability to perform robotic bronchoscopy, biopsy and surgical removal of cancerous nodules in one procedure shortens the treatment time window from 90 to 25 days,” Dr. Ali says. “That’s a 3-fold decrease”—one that translates to earlier diagnosis and treatment and to significantly improved survival rates. 

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WCM's Updates in Interventional Pulmonology Symposium: The Era of Robotics

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Clinical Trials

The Cardiothoracic Surgery Department conducts a robust clinical trials program to evaluate the effectiveness of new treatments and medications that have the potential to improve the management of patients with heart, lung, and esophageal disease. The outcomes of heart, lung, and esophageal operations can be improved with technical innovations.

Current Clinical Trials

 

             

Ranked #6 in Adult Cardiology & Heart Surgery Hospital in the nation and #1 in NYC by U.S. News and World Report

Ranked #1 in Best Regional Hospitals in U.S. News

          

                   

America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery Award™ by Healthgrade

America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care Award™ by Healthgrade

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