Hartzell V. Schaff
Papers
16
Total Citations
621
H-Index
12
About
Dr. Hartzell V. Schaff is a pioneering cardiac surgeon whose work has fundamentally reshaped mitral valve repair and minimally invasive cardiac surgery. His primary research focuses on advancing surgical techniques for mitral regurgitation, particularly through robotic and minimally invasive approaches that achieve outcomes identical to traditional open surgery. Dr. Schaff’s landmark 2011 study on robotic mitral valve repair (153 citations) established a critical benchmark, demonstrating that robotic techniques could successfully address all prolapse subsets—a finding that directly challenged the need for percutaneous interventions. His subsequent work on quality of life after early repair (134 citations) provided compelling evidence that robotic approaches improve patient appeal and recovery without compromising surgical standards. Beyond mitral valve surgery, Dr. Schaff has contributed to coronary revascularization strategies, showing improved late survival with arterial grafting (34 citations), and has explored innovative sutureless aortic valve replacement as an alternative to percutaneous implantation. His comprehensive 2019 review of contemporary mitral repair techniques, based on the Mayo Clinic’s extensive experience, serves as a definitive guide for surgeons worldwide. With over 500 citations across his most influential papers, Dr. Schaff’s legacy lies in proving that innovation in surgical technique can simultaneously enhance patient outcomes, affordability, and quality of life.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 6Improved late survival with arterial revascularization.34 citations · 2013
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- 9What Drives Opioid Prescriptions After Cardiac Surgery: Practice or Patient?20 citations · 2020
- 10Contemporary techniques for mitral valve repair—the Mayo Clinic experience19 citations · 2019