The USC Cardiothoracic Surgeon's Group, working within the USC Keck School of Medicine's Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, is and has been a leader in the surgical treatment of adult cardiovascular disease for more than a decade.

Under the leadership of the department's chairman, Dr. Vaughn A. Starnes, the members of the USC Cardiothoracic Group have performed more than 15,000 open-heart surgeries with outstanding results.

During this time, the Group has introduced the latest cardiovascular surgery technology to the Los Angeles area, developed innovative surgical techniques and achieved an outstanding local, national and international reputation for excellent surgical technique and compassionate patient care.

The surgeons and staff of the USC Cardiothoracic Surgeon's Group offer comprehensive state-of-the-art surgical therapy for all adult cardiac diseases of the chest including:

• Coronary artery disease
• Complications of myocardial infarction, including acute mitral valve insufficiency and ventricular septal defect
• Congenital heart defect repair in adults:
  • VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect)
  • ASD (Atrial Septal Defect)
• Aortic valve stenosis
• Aortic valve insufficiency
• Infections of the aortic valve
• Mitral valve insufficiency
• Mitral valve stenosis
• Infections of the mitral valve
• Tricuspid valve insufficiency
• Tricuspid valve stenosis
• Infections of the tricuspid valve
• Aortic dissections of all types, including thoracic aortic aneurysms and arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation

USC cardiac surgeons can offer a wide range of surgical options for all the above conditions and have been leaders in such surgical therapies as mitral valve repair, aortic dissection repair, minimally invasive surgical approaches, the use of robotic/video assisted cardiac surgical procedures, heart and lung transplantation and mechanical support for end-stage heart conditions.