Mount Sinai Hospital
Adult Cardiac
Member Since: 2019
Biography:
Professor, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC.
A specialist in aortic valve and root surgery, Dr. Stelzer is best known for establishing the root replacement technique as the standard for the Ross Procedure. Having performed 820 Ross Procedures in the past 37 years, he has one of the largest and longest series in the world.
Dr. Stelzer also has extensive experience with aortic homograft and stentless porcine root replacements as well as valve-sparing root surgery. He has done over 1000 root replacements or reconstructions. High risk cases of prosthetic valve endocarditis with aortic root abscess have led to experience with nearly 100 Commando operations.
The surgical treatment of HOCM is another area of Dr. Stelzer's special expertise which began in the early 1990's with his participation in the world wide investigational trial of the Medtronic Freestyle stentless porcine bioprosthesis.
Teaching younger attendings and residents in the OR is his greatest joy. Encouraging patients and their families is a close second. Jigsaw puzzles as large as 18,000 pieces fill spare time along with singing at church and with a barbershop quartet. Considerable traveling is shared with family including my wife of 55 years, our two children, and three grandchildren.
What Does the AATS Mean to You:
Excellence, fellowship, learning, sharing, teaching, building.
My First Experience with AATS:
It was like a three-ring circus with so much going on that it was hard to get to all the talks I wanted to attend.
Why I became an AATS member:
I have never been one who seeks titles or attention but I felt my career would not be complete without becoming a member of this important organization
The most impactful presentation I have seen at an AATS meeting:
David Adams' presidential address.
The first presentation I gave is:
I presented my series of 702 Ross procedures in 2020
The first paper I had published is:
Royster TS, Lynn R, Mulcare RJ, Stelzer PE. Dacron grafting from the aorta to the distal profunda femora arteries via the obturator foramina. Arch Surg. 1977 Mar;112(3):316-7
I plan on becoming more involved in the organization through:
By encouraging others to submit abstracts and to participate.
My career in CT Surgery was inspired by:
Watching Jim Malm do a Tetralogy repair that turned a blue baby pink was the first of 75 cardiac surgical operations that I saw in medical school at Columbia P&S. I fell in love with the specialty and have never lost that love."
My career in CT Surgery was inspired by:
Watching Jim Malm do a Tetralogy repair that turned a blue baby pink was the first of 75 cardiac surgical operations that I saw in medical school at Columbia P&S. I fell in love with the specialty and have never lost that love.
A significant case/patient interaction that impacted my career is:
Doing a distal arch reconstruction under DHCA as a young attending in the early 1980's gave me the confidence to do things that others were not doing.
The biggest impact my mentor had on my career is:
The one who taught me most about surgical technique in the OR did very little talking. I pestered him with questions to explain what he was doing and why he was doing it that way. This experience made me commit to talking with residents in the OR so they don't have to beg for information.
The topic most important to advancing the field of CT Surgery is:
We need to attract young people who are committed to caring for patients and a life of learning.
The most pressing issues impacting CT surgery are:
The surge of TAVR and other structural heart procedures that are decreasing open surgical volume. The scrutiny of administrators, insurance companies, and others who expect perfection. This tends to discourage operating on high risk patients. The "score cards" have too much weight in our world...
Advice for Trainees:
Keep an open mind as you begin and find a part of the field that you can pursue with all your might for the rest of your career.