University of California San Francisco

Elaine Tseng Headshot large
Elaine
Tseng
MD, FACS, FAHA

Professor of Surgery
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Chief of Cardiac Surgery, San Francisco VA Healthcare System
Co-Director, Cardiac Biomechanics Lab

UCSF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion badge

Academic Address
500 Parnassus Avenue, W405, Box 0118
San Francisco, CA 94143
Tel: (415) 353-8890
Email: [email protected] 
Assistant: [email protected] 

Cardiac Surgery Program
400 Parnassus Avenue, Suite 501, Box 0957
San Francisco, California,  94143
Tel: 415-353-1606
Fax: 415-353-1312

Cardiac Surgery Program at SFVA
San Francisco VA Medical Center
4150 Clement St, bldg 112
San Francisco, CA 94121
Tel: 415-221-4810
 

    Biography

    Dr. Elaine Tseng is Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at University of California San Francisco Medical Center. Her clinical expertise includes minimally invasive aortic valve replacement with Y-root enlargement, Ross operation, aortic surgery including ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm repairs, valve sparing aortic root replacements, structural heart disease—transcatheter aortic valve replacement and transcatheter edge-to-edge repair, and multi-arterial coronary artery bypass grafting.

    Dr. Tseng grew up in North Carolina where she attended the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. She was a National Merit Scholar. She completed her undergraduate Bachelor of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a GPA 5.0. She earned her medical degree at Harvard Medical School and was one of three recipients per year of the Virginia A. Linnane Scholarship. Dr. Tseng underwent her general surgery training at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she received the George D. Zeidema Surgery Award and the Vincent L. Gott Cardiac Surgery Award. She was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and was awarded the Nina Braunwald Research Fellowship Award from The Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education. She also received the Hawley H. Seiler MD Award from the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association. Dr. Tseng underwent her clinical and advanced training in cardiothoracic surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

    After completing her education and training, she joined the cardiac surgery staff at the UCSF and SFVA Medical Centers in 2002. Her academic research interests over the past 20 years have involved biomechanics, fluid dynamics, and computational simulations of aortic root surgery, including aortic stenosis, transcatheter aortic valves, Ross operation, ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (aTAA) and dissection. She has been NIH R01 funded surgeon-scientist investigating the biomechanics of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms to determine better predictors of type A dissection than maximum diameter. She is currently funded through a VA Merit award to investigate the impact of aTAA biomechanics on dissection, rupture, and all-cause mortality. She is the UCSF/SFVA site-principal investigator for the multi-institutional international randomized trial of treatment of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms, TITAN trial, early surgery vs surveillance for 5.0-5.4cm aneurysms. She has published >100 scientific papers and book chapters. Dr. Tseng serves on the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Workforce on New Technology, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Clinical Practice Standards Committee. She is on the Board of Directors of the Heart Valve Society, and the Thoracic Surgery Foundation. She is the Vice-Chair of the Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia Council of the American Heart Association and is Senior Editor in the Editorial Board of Annals of Thoracic Surgery. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Heart Association and is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

    Education

    Institution Degree Dept or School End Date
    University of California Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training 2018
    Lenox Hill Hospital Fellowship Endovascular/Interventional Cardiology 2006
    Johns Hopkins Hospital Fellowship Cardiac Surgery 2000
    Johns Hopkins Hospital Research Fellowship Cardiac Surgery 1997
    Johns Hopkins Hospital Residency General Surgery 1995
    Johns Hopkins Hospital Internship General Surgery 1994
    Harvard Medical School M.D. Health Sciences and Technology (HST) Division 1993
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology B.S. 1989

    Board Certifications

    American Board of Surgery, 2000

    American Board of Thoracic Surgery, 2003

    Clinical Expertise

    Acute and chronic type B aortic dissections
    Aortic arch aneurysms
    Aortic valve surgery
    Ascending aortic and arch surgery
    Endovascular repair of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm
    Hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA)
    Marfan syndrome
    Maze procedure for atrial fibrillation
    Maze procedure for atrial fibrillation
    Minimally invasive valve surgery
    Off-pump coronary artery bypass
    Reoperative cardiac surgery
    Robotic cardiac surgery

    Clinical Trials

    1. Related Conditions: Aneurysm| Start Date: | End Date:

    Grants and Funding

    • Developing Biomechanical Predictors of Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Growth and Dissection | Veteran Affairs | 2022-04-01 - 2026-04-01 | Role: Principal Investigator
    • Development of a System to Remove and Replace Transcatheter Heart Valves Percutaneously | Veterans Affairs | 2023-04-01 - 2024-03-31 | Role: Principal Investigator
    • Improved Rupture Risk Assessment of Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms: Application of Patient-specific Modeling and Biomechanics | Marfan Fundation | 2020-02-15 - 2023-06-30 | Role: Principal Investigator
    • Biomechanical Understanding of Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms | NIH | 2015-04-01 - 2021-03-31 | Role: Principal Investigator

    Research Interests

    Percutaneous and transcatheter aortic valves
    Biomechanics
    Computational fluid dynamics
    Valvular heart diseases

    Publications

    MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 152
    1. Commentary: Virtual thoracic endovascular aortic repair for type A aortic dissection: Engineering transforms clinical reality.
      Wang Z, Xuan Y, Tseng EE, Ge L| | PubMed
    2. Long-term outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation in failed bioprosthetic valves.
      Bleiziffer S, Simonato M, Webb JG, Rodés-Cabau J, Pibarot P, Kornowski R, Windecker S, Erlebach M, Duncan A, Seiffert M, Unbehaun A, Frerker C, Conzelmann L, Wijeysundera H, Kim WK, Montorfano M, Latib A, Tchetche D, Allali A, Abdel-Wahab M, Orvin K, Stortecky S, Nissen H, Holzamer A, Urena M, Testa L, Agrifoglio M, Whisenant B, Sathananthan J, Napodano M, Landi A, Fiorina C, Zittermann A, Veulemans V, Sinning JM, Saia F, Brecker S, Presbitero P, De Backer O, Søndergaard L, Bruschi G, Franco LN, Petronio AS, Barbanti M, Cerillo A, Spargias K, Schofer J, Cohen M, Muñoz-Garcia A, Finkelstein A, Adam M, Serra V, Teles RC, Champagnac D, Iadanza A, Chodor P, Eggebrecht H, Welsh R, Caixeta A, Salizzoni S, Dager A, Auffret V, Cheema A, Ubben T, Ancona M, Rudolph T, Gummert J, Tseng E, Noble S, Bunc M, Roberts D, Kass M, Gupta A, Leon MB, Dvir D| | PubMed
    3. Reply from authors: Aortic aneurysm biomechanics: Perfect is the enemy of good.
      Tseng EE, Wang Z, Ge L| | PubMed
    4. Stent and leaflet stresses across generations of balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valves.
      Xuan Y, Dvir D, Wang Z, Ye J, Guccione JM, Ge L, Tseng EE| | PubMed
    5. Wall Stress Distribution in Bicuspid Aortic Valve-Associated Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms.
      Gomez A, Wang Z, Xuan Y, Wisneski AD, Hope MD, Saloner DA, Guccione JM, Ge L, Tseng EE| | PubMed
    6. Wall stress analyses in patients with ≥5 cm versus <5 cm ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm.
      Wang Z, Flores N, Lum M, Wisneski AD, Xuan Y, Inman J, Hope MD, Saloner DA, Guccione JM, Ge L, Tseng EE| | PubMed
    7. Outcomes of Veterans Undergoing TAVR Within Veterans Affairs Medical Centers: Insights From the Veterans Affairs Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking Program.
      Hall PS, O'Donnell CI, Mathew V, Garcia S, Bavry AA, Banerjee S, Jneid H, Denktas AE, Giacomini JC, Grossman PM, Aggarwal K, Zimmet JM, Tseng EE, Gozdecki L, Burke L, Bertog SC, Buchbinder M, Plomondon ME, Waldo SW, Shunk KA| | PubMed
    8. Veterans Affairs Heart Team Experience With Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement and Minimally Invasive Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement.
      Liang NE, Wisneski AD, Wang SX, Shunk KA, Wozniak CJ, Yang J, Zimmet JM, Ge L, Tseng EE| | PubMed
    9. Evolution of Minimally Invasive Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
      Liang NE, Wisneski AD, Wozniak CJ, Ge L, Tseng EE| | PubMed
    10. Evolution of Bilateral Mammary Arterial Grafting Program in Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
      Wang SX, Lee M, Chang CC, Lai LYY, Flores N, Ge L, Wozniak CJ, Tseng EE| | PubMed