Built for Complexity: Meet Hoag's Cardiac Surgeons
A complex heart diagnosis raises urgent questions: How serious is my condition? Who has the expertise to treat it? Where can I find care I can trust?
At Hoag’s Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute, those questions are answered by a deeply experienced team prepared to take on the most challenging cases—while maintaining a strong commitment to individualized, patient-centered care.
The expansion of Hoag’s cardiac surgery program reflects a strategic investment in advanced cardiac care. By strengthening surgical expertise, hybrid operating environments, specialized cardiovascular intensive care and integrated case management, Hoag has built a program designed around multidisciplinary teams equipped to manage the full continuum and complexity of cardiac disease.
That collaboration extends beyond the operating room. Cardiac surgeons work closely with cardiologists across imaging, interventional cardiology, heart failure, and electrophysiology to evaluate each case from multiple perspectives, ensuring patients benefit from coordinated decision-making and comprehensive care plans.
“Hoag is known for taking a deeply collaborative approach to complex cardiac procedures,” says Dr. Jack Sun, Director of Cardiovascular Surgery. “Our surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, intensivists and nursing teams work together to support the best possible outcomes for each patient.”
This team-based model is validated by Hoag’s Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) highest rating,[CT1] placing it among the nation’s highest-performing cardiac surgery programs—a distinction achieved by only about 10% of hospitals nationwide.
At the heart of the program is a focus on personalized care, says Dr. Yuichi Ishida, Director of Cardiac Surgery Mechanical Support.
“At Hoag, we partner with patients and their families to develop individualized care plans,” Dr. Ishida says. “Those plans are shaped by a coordinated team with the experience, technology and resources needed to treat complex heart conditions.”
That preparation is especially meaningful for patients who may have been told elsewhere that their cases are too complicated to treat, says Dr. Ryan S. Bedi, a cardiac surgeon who specializes in aortic surgery.
“Patients with complex heart conditions are often told ‘no’ before arriving at Hoag,” Dr. Bedi says. “They are relieved when they come here and hear ‘yes.’ That may include patients requiring advanced support, complex reoperative surgery, or coordination across multiple cardiac subspecialties. At Hoag, we have a team prepared to evaluate every option and work together toward the best possible outcome.”
For cardiac surgeon Dr. Matthew Wingo, the program’s strength lies in readiness — not just in the operating room, but across the entire system of care.
“The community trusts us because this is where people come when their heart needs are complex,” Dr. Wingo says. “That trust reflects the preparation behind the scenes — the teams, the infrastructure, and the ability to respond when situations escalate quickly. They put their trust in our hands, and we hold that as our greatest responsibility.”
Learn more about Hoag’s Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute.
