Tobias Deuse

Tobias Deuse, M.D. is a cardiac and heart transplant surgeon internationally renowned for his pioneering work in the development of minimally-invasive techniques for mitral valve repair.

Dr. Deuse graduated the University of Stuttgart (Germany) in 1994 with a BS in Physics, and in 2000 earned an M.D. from University of Wuerzburg. Dr. Deuse thereafter received advanced training in cardiothoracic surgery at the University Hospital Munich-Grosshadern and University Heart Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. After obtaining his board certification in Germany in 2007 as a heart surgeon, Dr. Deuse completed a surgical fellowship in Lung and Heart-Lung Transplantation at Stanford.

After returning to Germany in 2009, Dr. Deuse was appointed Director for Heart and Lung Transplantation at the University Heart Center in Hamburg. He achieved international acclaim for his development of innovative approaches to heart failure surgery, most notably minimally-invasive techniques for the implantation of ventricular assist systems.

Dr. Deuse also demonstrated that high success rates could be achieved in mitral valve repair utilizing robotic-assisted (fully) endoscopic surgery. This minimally invasive procedure, also known as "keyhole surgery", has numerous benefits for the patient including substantially reduced post-surgical pain, shorter hospital stays, and a faster recovery and return to normal activities.

Dr. Deuse has also been the recipient of numerous honors including election to the Board of Directors of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT).

Research Overview

Dr. Deuse's research is focused on vascular biology and pathophysiology. His group was the among the first to elucdiate the novel pathways involved in the development of vascular intimal hyperplasia. Myointimal hyperplasia is a pathological process of the vascular system characterized by abnormal proliferation of smooth muscle cells of the vascular wall that leads to luminal obliteration and subsequent ischemia.

Myointimal hyperplasia may occur in patients after vessel injury during medical procedures (e.g. after balloon dilation or stent placement) or after pathological injury of the blood vessel (e.g. due to inflammation or toxic exposure). It can cause bypass graft failure and in-stent restenosis. To help prevent this and increase the success of treatments for vascular disease including coronary heart disease, his research group is working on the development of new preventive drug regimes and strategies.