Patient Care
Duke Surgery’s unwavering commitment to enhancing the patient experience and achieving optimal outcomes has propelled us into groundbreaking territory, earning us international recognition. Here, we are pioneers, translating imagination into reality with a myriad of successfully completed case types that set benchmarks for others to aspire to. Our precision extends to innovative techniques such as partial heart transplants and hearts donated after circulatory death (DCD) — achievements that exemplify our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible. As we translate research into tangible results, we are not just completing procedures; we are transforming lives in ways previously unimaginable.
–Christopher R. Mantyh, MD, FACS
Vice Chair of Clinical Operations
Duke University Hospital Achieves 7th Consecutive Recognition for Meritorious Outcomes
Duke University Hospital (DUH) was recognized for achieving Meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care for the seventh consecutive year by the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®).
Duke Regional Hospital (DRH) also achieved Meritorious recognition for the first time, marking a significant achievement for both locations and reflecting the department’s commitment to delivering the highest standards of surgical care.
The Department of Surgery performed more than 29,000 surgical cases in FY ’23, contributing to 35.8% of the total clinical case volume across the entire Duke University Health System (DUHS).
Surgical Case Volume Across Locations
Of the 29,232 cases performed by Duke Surgery in FY ’23, 63.3% were performed at Duke University Hospital (DUH) in Durham.
The 16% increase in cases performed at Duke Raleigh Hospital (DRAH) from FY ’21 to FY ’23 reflects the department’s commitment to expanding access to quality surgical care across the Triangle.
Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP) Launches to Success
Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP) is only five months old, and has already begun to show its great potential as a means of improving care for patients and the engagement of the faculty and staff. The successful transition to DHIP stands as a testament to the commitment to delivering comprehensive, patient-centered care.
Craig T. Albanese, MD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Duke University Health System, emphasizes, “The integration of DHIP unifies our efforts, ensuring patients receive coordinated care across specialties.” Duke Surgery and all of the partners will continue to learn in this first year of the new, integrated practice. Based on the progress today, the future is bright for this redefined organization.
Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a condition affecting more than a million Americans older than 65, but it remains vastly misdiagnosed.
One patient shares her journey with PHPT after she suffered for six years before being properly diagnosed and receiving care provided by Hadiza Kazaure, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery.
Read the full feature story on the Surgery website.
Pediatric Heart Surgery Program Continues Making Waves
Pediatric Heart Program
(U.S. News & World Report)
In 2023, the Cardiology and Heart Surgery program of Duke Children’s Hospital was named the #2 pediatric heart program in the country by U.S. News & World Report, up five places from the previous year.
From performing the world’s first partial heart transplant to graduating Duke’s first Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellow, the pediatric heart team at Duke has further cemented itself as a leading care center for children and their families.
Learn more about the program in the full feature story on the Surgery website.
Video above: Joseph Turek, MD, and the Monroe family discuss baby Owen’s path to receiving the world’s first partial heart transplant
Sharon Beckman, NP
Nurse Practitioner
Increasing and Improving Patient Access
Sharon Beckman, NP, leads an independent Colorectal Surgery Clinic focused on management of benign anorectal disorders. She has partnered with Duke Community Health and Family Medicine to provide next-level education for primary care residents and fellows on assessment and management of these issues and developed strong referral relationships with Duke Primary Care to provide rapid-response recommendations and expedite evaluation in urgent situations. As a result of her care, we have seen increased clinic throughput for these patients, as well as enhanced access to the colorectal surgery clinics, by managing many of these nonoperative cases independently.
Growing Programs and Initiatives
Promising Impacts of Donation After Circulatory Death (DCD) Transplant
A clinical study led by Jacob Schroder, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that DCD heart transplant patients have a 94% survival rate and objective data showing that both DCD hearts and hearts procured through the current standard of care are equivalent for transplant. These groundbreaking results could expand the pool of available donor hearts by a projected 30%.
Expansion of OR Black Box® Program
Led by Jacob Greenberg, MD, Chief of the Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery, the OR Black Box® Program has become more heavily ingrained in Duke's clinical operations, with expansion into additional ORs, development of initiatives to more efficiently flag and review cases, and use of data for cross-disciplinary quality initiative projects.
Hepatic Artery Infusion (HAI) Pump Milestone
Duke Surgery’s HAI team, led by Michael Lidsky, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, reached a significant milestone of successfully implanting more than 100 HAI pumps to treat patients with advanced hepatic malignancies.
Kidney Transplant Milestone
The Duke kidney transplant team reached a new milestone of performing more than 5,000 successful kidney transplants. This marks a major achievement for Duke as one of the highest-volume kidney transplant centers in the state.
Closing Gaps in Gender-Affirming Care
In collaboration with the Duke Sexual and Gender Minority Health Program, the Division of Plastic, Maxillofacial, and Oral Surgery is working to fill gaps in gender-affirming care with the introduction of facial masculinization and feminization surgeries to assist with the transition process for gender affirmation.
Growing Reach of Vascular Surgery
An expanded pediatric vascular surgery clinical program aims to support children and young adults with comprehensive vascular pathology, with a particular emphasis on inflammatory, genetic, and developmental arteriopathies. Duke is also now a proud member of the PCORI-funded pediatric renovascular hypertension (pRVH) PCOR Collaborative, led by Dawn Coleman, MD, Chief of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.
Give to Duke Surgery
Gifts of all sizes to the Department of Surgery help support novel advancements in patient care.
Learn about how you can make a gift to the program, division, or clinical effort of your choosing, and be a part of the Duke Surgery mission of being United, for all Patients.
