The life-saving heart surgery few can perform: Meet the Temple surgeon leading the way
A complicated, rare and difficult-to-perform heart surgery first pioneered more than 50 years ago is making a comeback, due to improved techniques that yield better results.
Yoshiya Toyoda, M.D., chief of cardiovascular surgery at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, is among the few U.S. heart surgeons skilled in treating aortic valve disease — which can lead to severe issues like shortness of breath and serious cardiac events — with the Ross procedure, named in the 1960s for its developer, British surgeon Donald Ross.
Dr. Toyoda has introduced innovations to enhance the Ross procedure’s safety and effectiveness, and it now offers patients a survival rate comparable to the general population. Patients live with minimal restrictions and can last up to 20 years without the need for another surgery.
The Ross procedure is seeing a resurgence at specialized centers like Temple Health. The use of the patient's own pulmonary valve to replace the damaged aortic valve reduces the need for medication and provides a more natural cardiac function, making it ideal for physically active and younger patients.
The Ross procedure is still only available at select institutions but is becoming more accessible nationwide. “Fortunately, there are more training courses and conferences now to educate interested surgeons,” says Dr. Toyoda, who leads many of these seminars on the technique.