Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai is celebrating the fifth anniversary of a $50 million gift, the then largest gift in the health system's history which established the Smidt Heart Institute, according to a March 12 report from the Beverly Hills Courier.
The gift from Eric and Susan Smidt has allowed for research breakthroughs, clinical advancements and the development of a heart facility with nearly 800 staff and faculty members.
U.S. News and World Report ranked the institute third in the nation for cardiac care this year. It houses independent cardiology and cardiac surgery departments as well as 21 centers that specialize in cell therapy, minimally invasive valve procedures, robotic surgery, congenital heart disease treatments and organ transplantation.
In the last five years, the institute has performed 603 heart transplants and pioneered minimally invasive lung transplants. It is the largest cardiothoracic transplant center by volume in the state and the third largest by volume in the country.
Surgeons at the institute have completed milestones such as the first implantation of an Abbott Piccolo mesh device for minimally invasive treatment of heart issues in premature babies and the development of heart valve interventions for minimally invasive procedures that help patients avoid cardiac surgery.