User:Mgerdisch

Marc W. Gerdisch, M.D., is the chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at the St. Francis Heart Center, a partner of Cardiac Surgery Associates and the surgical director of the Heart Valve Center and Atrial Fibrillation Center at Franciscan St. Francis Health.

Dr. Gerdisch, who specializes in complex heart valve surgery, also is clinical assistant professor of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at the Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. During the last 17 years, Dr. Gerdisch has contributed to advancements in cardiac surgery, being one of the first to perform many less invasive and innovative procedures. His program spans from novel minimally invasive treatments for atrial fibrillation to high-risk multi-valve operations in patients with advanced disease. Preserving and reconstructing cardiac architecture and function is the focus of Dr. Gerdisch's practice. He is participating in ongoing research in next-generation heart valves and cardiac tissue regeneration.

In December 2010, Dr. Gerdisch was named national principal investigator to lead an FDA study at the St. Francis Heart Center and 15 other cardiac surgery sites throughout the United States. The clinical trial, which will enroll more than 400 patients, assesses new onset, postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing primary isolated coronary bypass grafting. During the bypass grafting procedure the pericardial sac is reconstructed (the membrane surrounding the heart) using Extracellular MatrixTM (ECM). The ECM bio-scaffold uses a unique, innovative technology through which the patch becomes re-cellularized, allowing the patient to re-grow his/her own tissue. St. Francis enrolled the first patient in this new study.

In 2007, Dr. Gerdisch was first in the world to apply the ECM bio-scaffold patch inside the heart, repairing a congenital defect. In 2008, he was first in the world to use the ECM technology in patients with damaged heart valves.

Also in 2010, Dr. Gerdisch was honored for his work and named a “Health Care Hero” by the Indianapolis Business Journal. More recently, Dr. Gerdisch was named America’s Top Doctor by Castle Connelly and received the Excellence in Health Science Research Award at the annual Tony and Mary Hulman Health Achievement Awards.

Dr. Gerdisch earned his medical degree from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, Ill., where he also completed his residency and fellowship in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery. Dr. Gerdisch had post-doctoral training at various institutions in the United States and abroad.

Dr. Gerdisch holds is an independent physician, who chooses to practice at Franciscan St. Francis Health and has several professional memberships and has been widely published in medical journals and publications. He has presented nationally and internationally on new technology in cardiac surgery and surgical treatment of heart disease.