University of Cincinnati Doctor Rebuked for
Not Divulging Financial Tie to AtriCure

JAMES RITCHIE / Cincinnati Business Courier 28dec2005

[WSJ article and Wolf CV below]

A medical journal has admonished a University of Cincinnati surgeon for failing to disclose financial ties to AtriCure Inc., the West Chester-based maker of heart-surgery equipment he and other researchers evaluated in a published study.

The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery will issue corrections revealing the links, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. For "future violations" of the kind, it will also institute tougher penalties, including temporarily banning authors and their institutions from publishing in the journal, said Dr. Andrew Wechsler, editor of the publication.

A paper published in September with UC surgeon Dr. Randall K. Wolf as lead author did not make note of stock options and consulting arrangements on the part of Wolf and co-authors, according to the newspaper. It did note that Wolf and other authors "receive educational grants from AtriCure Inc.," grants that "were not used to fund this research."

The paper reported largely positive results from the AtriCure system: three months after surgery, 91 percent of the study's 27 patients were free of the atrial fibrillation the system is designed to treat.

Wolf is a consultant for AtriCure, holds AtriCure stock options and receives money from the company for overseeing surgeons learning the AtriCure procedure. According to the newspaper, an SEC filing in August reported that Wolf owned 18,402 shares of company stock and had warrants or options to buy 13,913 more shares. AtriCure in November reported a four-year royalty

agreement with the surgeon that will pay him at least $200,000 a year up to a total of $2 million through the length of the agreement.

Wolf helped to develop a surgical cutting device — the "Wolf dissector" — sold by the company and was involved in the early development of the AtriCure surgical procedure. The company went public in August.

E. William Schneeberger, a UC surgeon also listed as an author of the study, was listed as having options for 14,500 shares of company stock.

Dr. Jeffrey Matthews, chairman of UC's Department of Surgery, said he had not yet talked with Wolf and so could not specifically on the situation except to say it would be reviewed by the university.

UC has a detailed conflict-of-interest policy that calls for "full disclosure," Matthews said.

Such questions are symptomatic of the "complex and evolving" relationship between academic research and industry, he said.

"The potential conflicts are everywhere," Matthews said. "What we strive to do is manage those conflicts and disclose them."

He said he had not received any communication from the medical journal.

The role of co-author Dr. Marc Gillinov, a Cleveland Clinic heart surgeon, as a paid consultant to the company was also not disclosed. Wechsler sent a letter to Wolf stating that the journal will "publish a correction as soon as possible concerning the disclosures relating to this manuscript" and that it held Wolf "responsible for obtaining for us all pertinent relations from all authors," according to the newspaper.

In June, Gillinov, as lead author, published another AtriCure study with Cleveland Clinic colleagues in which 72 percent of patients were found to be free of atrial fibrillation a year after surgery. Not revealed was that co-author Dr. Delos "Toby" Cosgrove, who is now the clinic's CEO, was on AtriCure's board when the research was being conducted.

AtriCure's (NASDAQ: ATRC) closed at $10.95, down 4.8 percent.

source: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2005/12/26/daily12.html?t=printable 28dec2005

Surgery Journal Threatens Ban For Authors' Hidden Conflicts 

DAVID ARMSTRONG / Wall Street Journal 28dec2005

With conflicts of interest increasingly casting doubt on the credibility of medical research, a leading surgery journal is cracking down on authors who fail to disclose links to industry, threatening to temporarily blacklist them.

The surgical society that owns the journal approved the penalties for "future violations" after learning that researchers for two studies it published this year didn't reveal financial ties to the maker of heart-surgery equipment that they evaluated favorably.

Andrew Wechsler, editor of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, says the publication plans to issue corrections in the two cases to reveal the financial ties of the researchers to AtriCure Inc., a Cincinnati company that makes a system to treat atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm.

Prompted by the AtriCure revelations, the American Association of Thoracic Surgery, which owns the journal, decided that a published correction of a conflict of interest — a common remedy when authors fail to disclose industry links — doesn't go "far enough," Dr. Wechsler says. He says the tougher sanctions approved by the surgery society will include barring those individuals and their institutions from publishing in the journal for "some period of time."

The action comes as many medical journals struggle with the burgeoning links between researchers and industry. While some of the major medical journals started requiring financial disclosures in the 1980s, most publications didn't begin to ask about potential conflicts until the past decade. Some editors have complained it is hard to find reviewers and study authors who don't have potential conflicts of interest. Last year, the British medical journal Lancet said undisclosed conflicts of interest undermined a study it published that suggested childhood vaccinations could cause autism. Lancet said the study's lead author didn't disclose he was working on a study for lawyers considering legal action against vaccine makers.

Disclosing industry connections is critical because many physicians make treatment decisions based on data published in medical journals, and need to be able to evaluate their credibility. "Even though we believe the information in the study is sufficiently well-documented, they need to know that the person who authored the article may have a relationship with the company," says Catherine DeAngelis, editor in chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "I want you to make the decision on how trustworthy that information is."

The banning of authors who fail to disclose conflicts is "pretty unusual," says Kevin Schulman, a professor of medicine and business administration at Duke University who has studied conflict policies at institutions and medical journals. At the same, Dr. Schulman says, the harsher sanction is "part of the maturation of the relationship between industry, academia and the journals. Basically there has been a constant movement over the last several years to really improve disclosure and to really improve independence."

Dr. DeAngelis says the new policy by the surgery journal is "pretty severe, but not outlandish." At JAMA, authors who fail to disclose relationships are not barred from publication, but their work receives extra scrutiny, she says.

The New England Journal of Medicine says it has "not had occasion to penalize an author for failure to disclose a conflict of interest in recent years." The journal says it would handle any failures to disclose conflicts on a case-by-case basis, and that it expects that few researchers would risk the "professional and personal stigma that forever would be attached to such an incident."

Dr. Wechsler, the surgery-journal editor, says there will be a third correction relating to another study of the AtriCure system because the journal mistakenly failed to note that the authors were consultants to the company even though they had informed editors before publication.

The studies generally praised the AtriCure system, and the company has highlighted two of them in regulatory filings as "independent" clinical studies that "demonstrate the efficacy, ease of use and safety of our system."

In a paper Cleveland Clinic heart surgeon Marc Gillinov co-wrote in the journal in September, his role as a paid consultant to AtriCure wasn't disclosed. AtriCure highlighted the 27-patient study, which found that 91% of patients were free from fibrillation three months after surgery, in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing as part of a recent public offering.

The lead author of that study, University of Cincinnati surgeon Randall K. Wolf, has lucrative ties to AtriCure. Dr. Wolf helped develop a surgical cutting device that AtriCure sells and says he was a key player in the early development of the AtriCure surgical procedure.

Before the surgery journal announced the correction, Dr. Wolf said he is a consultant to AtriCure, the holder of AtriCure stock options and is paid by the company to proctor other surgeons learning the AtriCure operation. An AtriCure filing with the SEC in August reports Dr. Wolf owns 18,402 shares of company stock and has warrants or options to purchase 13,913 additional shares of stock. In November, AtriCure reported a four-year royalty agreement with Dr. Wolf that will pay him a minimum of $200,000 a year up to a total of $2 million over the entire length of the agreement.

E. William Schneeberger, a University of Cincinnati surgeon who is another of the study's authors, is listed as having options for 14,500 shares of AtriCure stock.

When the AtriCure study was submitted to the cardiovascular journal, Dr. Wechsler says Dr. Wolf included a disclosure indicating "Drs. Schneeberger, Gillinov, and I receive educational grants from AtriCure Inc. These grants were not used to fund this research." The stock options and consulting arrangements weren't disclosed, Dr. Wechsler says.

Dr. Wechsler recently sent a letter to Dr. Wolf saying the journal planned "to publish a correction as soon as possible concerning the disclosures relating to this manuscript" and saying it held the surgeon "responsible for obtaining for us all pertinent relations for all authors."

Dr. Wolf didn't respond to telephone and email messages seeking comment on the journal's letter. Dr. Schneeberger, before the correction was announced, said he had "no idea" the financial ties weren't disclosed. Dr. Gillinov, through a spokeswoman at the clinic, said he didn't see a final draft of the study turned in by Dr. Wolf. The spokeswoman, Eileen Sheil, says Dr. Gillinov didn't intend to hide his relationship with the company and has disclosed the link in other forums.

Among the early investors in AtriCure was a venture-capital fund founded by the Cleveland Clinic, a world-renowned heart hospital. The clinic is also one of the leading practitioners of the AtriCure surgery and its doctors have promoted the operation at major medical meetings, in company news releases and in surgery journals.

Dr. Gillinov was the lead author of another AtriCure study, this one published in June and co-written with colleagues from the clinic. One of those authors was Delos "Toby" Cosgrove, a noted heart surgeon who is now the clinic's chief executive. This study concluded that 72% of the patients were free of atrial fibrillation a year after surgery.

The article, however, failed to note that Dr. Cosgrove was on the AtriCure board during the time the research was conducted. Dr. Cosgrove previously said the failure to disclose his relationship was an oversight. Dr. Gillinov did disclose his consulting relationship when submitting this study.

Ms. Sheil says Dr. Gillinov is in the process of responding to a letter from the medical journal asking why, as the lead author, he didn't disclose Dr. Cosgrove's relationship to AtriCure. "He apologizes for the oversight," she says. In the future, she added, "we need to do a better job of making sure" industry relationships are disclosed.

A third study was conducted by surgeons at Washington University in St. Louis and published in the journal's October 2004 issue. It concluded that 91% of the patients who underwent the AtriCure procedure were free of atrial fibrillation after six months.

The study was written by at least two surgeons with financial ties to AtriCure that weren't disclosed in the journal. Dr. Wechsler says that Richard Schuessler and Ralph Damiano reported that they were consultants to AtriCure and that the journal mistakenly failed to disclose those ties.

The study's medical findings were later challenged by doctors in England. In a letter to the editor of the medical journal, the British researchers pointed out that there was no six-month follow-up data for 17 of the 40 patients so that the results were based only on a subset of those who underwent the operation. They argue it was likely that some of the missing patients still had atrial fibrillation and that the "true estimate" of the cure rate was less than 91% and as low as 53%.

p.B1

Randall K. Wolf, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Professor of Surgery & Biomedical Engineering
Director, Center for Surgical Innovation
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Educational Background

Bachelor of Arts (Biology), Indiana University - 1975
Doctor of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine - 1979

Postgraduate Training

Sub Intern, Halstead Service - Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland - November and December,1978
Internship (Surgical) - Methodist Hospital of Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1979-1980
Resident - Roanoke Memorial Hospitals, Roanoke, Virginia - 1980-1984
Resident - University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, Virginia - 1981-1982
Advanced Trauma Life Support Course, Baltimore, Maryland - 1982
Fellow, Vascular Surgery - The Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio - 1986
Fellow, Cardiothoracic Surgery - University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio - 7/86-12/88

Certification

American Board of Thoracic Surgery
American Board of Surgery

Appointments

Undergraduate Teaching Asst. in Organic Chemistry - 2 years - Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana - 1971-1975
Asst. To Graduate Student in Microbiology - Munich, West Germany - Summer, 1974
Reader, Vascular Lab - Roanoke Memorial Hospitals, Roanoke, Virginia - 1984-1985
Coordinator, Nutritional Support Services - Roanoke Memorial Hospitals, Roanoke, Virginia - 1984-1985
Asst. Director of Surgical Education - Roanoke Memorial Hospitals, Roanoke, Virginia - 1984-1985
Instructor in Surgery - University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia - 1984-1985
Trauma Team Leader - Level I Trauma Center, Roanoke Memorial Hospitals, Roanoke, Virginia - 1984-1985
Coordinator, Tumor Board - Roanoke Memorial Hospitals, Roanoke, Virginia - 1984-1985
Director of Quality Assurance - Department of Cardiac Surgery, The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio - 3/90 –1995
Director of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery and Robotics - The Ohio State University Medical Center - 8/99
Associate Professor of Surgery - The Ohio State University Medical Center - 8/99
Professor of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering - University of Cincinnati College of Medicine - 9/03
Director, Center for Surgical Innovation - University of Cincinnati College of Medicine - 9/03

Officer-Committee Assignments

Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati
Counselor at Large - 1993-1996
Executive Council - 1994-1995
Secretary of the Academy - 1994-1995

Committees

Cardiovascular Surgery Committee – American College of Cardiology
Tech-Con Committee
The Council of Healthcare Advisors

OSU Committees

Search Committee for Executive Director of Knowledge Transfer and Commercialization
Search Committee for Vice President of Technology Partnership
Information Systems Committee
Quality Management Policy Group
Department of Surgery Credentialing and Quality Assurance Committee
Department of Surgery Research Faculty Committee
Department of Surgery Development Committee
Clinical Technology and Product Assessment Committee

Staff Affiliations

The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
Med-Central Hospital, Mansfield, Ohio
Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio
The Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
The Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
University Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio

Honors and Awards

Bruce D. Baird Surgical Resident Award 1984
Academic Standards Committee, Indiana University Medical Center 1977 - 1978 Phi Beta Phi Beta Kappa 1975

Professional Affiliations

American College of Surgeons
American College of Cardiology
Society of Thoracic Surgeons
American Medical Association
American College of Chest Physicians
International College of Surgeons
Association for Academic Surgery
21st Century Cardiac Surgery Club
General Thoracic Surgery Club
Cincinnati Surgical Society
Greater Cincinnati Vascular Society
Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati
Academy of Medicine of Columbus
American Association for Thoracic Surgeons

Advisory Boards

TissueLink Medical, Inc., Dover, NH
Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, NJ. Director of CME Cardiac Courses
Genzyme Corporation, Tucker, GA
Enable Medical, Cincinnati, OH
Intuitive Surgical, Mountain View, CA
HeartStent, Minneapolis, MN
Corgentech, San Francisco, CA
Verimetra, Pittsburgh, PA
ISMICS

Multicenter Studies

FDA Clinical Trial: Robotic Heart Surgery (Multicenter)
Mitral Valve Repair
Co-Investigator, 2001
FDA Clinical Trial: Robotic Heart Surgery (Single Center)
Complete Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Principal Investigator, 1999
FDA Clinical Trial: Robotic Heart Surgery (Single Center)
Internal Mammary Artery Harvest
Co-Investigator, 1999
Coalescent Clip Study: Nitinol Clips For Coronary Anastomoses
Principal Investigator, 2000-2001

Professional Affiliations

Project Title: Distal anastomatic device survival study
Funding Organization: Ethicon Endo-Surgery
Dates: Ongoing
Amount Awarded: $1.2 million
Project Title: Harmonic Scalpel for IMA Mobilization
Funding Organization: Ethicon Endosurgery, Inc.
Dates: 2001
Amount Awarded: $100,000
Project Title: Proximal and Distal Anastomotic Device
Funding Organization: Ethicon, Inc.
Dates: 2001
Amount Awarded: $300,000
Project Title: Clip glue project
Funding Organization: Coalescent Surgical/Genzyme Corporation
Dates: 2001
Amount Awarded: $70,000
Project Title: Atrial ablation device for atrial fibrillation
Funding Organization: Atricure
Dates: 2000 – 2002
Amount Awarded: Continuous funding for all acute experiments
Project Title: Robotic mammary artery mobilization
Funding Organization: Intuitive Surgical
Dates: 1999
Amount Awarded: All equipment needed for completion of 25 clinical cases
Project Title: Telesurgery
Funding Organization: Ethicon Endo-Surgery
Dates: Ongoing
Amount Awarded: All telesurgery equipment and transmission fees provided
Project Title: Computers in the operating room
Funding Organization: Ethicon Endo-Surgery
Status: Completed
Amount Awarded: $53,000
Project Title: Doppler flow wire for intraoperative coronary artery bypass assessment (pilot study).
Funding Organization: Endosonics Corp.
Dates: Completed
Amount Awarded: $10,000 plus all equipment
Project Title: Ventricular shunts
Funding Organization: Heartstent, Inc.
Dates: 2000 – 2001
Amount Awarded: Continuously funded – all acute animal experiments

Research Interests

Robotic assistance in minimally invasive heart surgery
Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass and valve repair
Instrumentation for minimally invasive heart surgery
Video thoracoscopy and video-assisted thoracic surgery
Lung volume reduction for emphysema
Thoracoscopic spine surgery
Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation
Automated devices for coronary anastomosis

Patents

US Patent - US06066144; Surgical anastomosis method; May 23, 2000
US Patent - US06013027; Method for a tissue stabilization device during surgery; January 11, 2000

INVITED LECTURES

1. Wolf RK. New dimensions in thoracoscopy. Conference: Advances in endoscopic surgery, St. Petersburg, Russia. September 1995.
2. Wolf RK. VATS lobectomy through one incision. The Society of Thoracoscopic Surgery, 5th Annual Meeting, Tokyo, Japan. September 1995
3. Cystic Schwannoma. 4th World Conference in Endosurgery, Kyoto, Japan. June 18, 1994.
4. The Expanding Role of Video Thoracoscopy in Diagnosis and Treatment of Chest Diseases. 4th World Conference in Endosurgery, Kyoto, Japan. June 18, 1994.
5. Surgical Treatment of Emphysema. American Heart Association and American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Cincinnati, Ohio. March 13, 1996.
6. Current Concepts, Future Trends. 15th Annual Cardiac Rehabilitation Conference, Emphysema Surgery Update, Cincinnati, Ohio. April 6, 1996.
7. Thoracoscopic Volume Reduction Surgery. 1st Conference for Volume Reduction Surgery, Okayama, Japan. July 6, 1996.
8. Minimal Incision Valve Surgery. 20th Biennial Congress of the Southern Africa Cardiac Society, Wild Coast, Republic of South Africa. October 6-9, 1996.
9. Minimal Incision Coronary Artery Bypass (MIDCAB). 20th Biennial Congress of the Southern Africa Cardiac Society, Wild Coast, Republic of South Africa. October 6-9, 1996.
10. Chair of Live Transmission of Valve Repair Surgery. 20th Biennial Congress of the Southern Africa Cardiac Society, Wild Coast, Republic of South Africa. October 6-9, 1996.
11. Minimal Incision Coronary Bypass. 100 Years of Cardiosurgery, Frankfurt, Germany. November 30, 1996.
12. Video Assisted Coronary Bypass. Japanese Society of Endoscopic Surgery, Tokyo, Japan. December 4-5, 1996.
13. Minimally Invasive Bypass. 16th Annual Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio. March 12-14, 1997.
14. Lung Reduction. 16th Annual Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio. March 12-14, 1997.
15. Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery. State of the Heart Symposium, Stockton, California. May 3, 1997.
16. MIDCAB – Thoracoscopic IMA Harvest. Experiences in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Minneapolis Heart Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota. June 19-21, 1997.
17. A New Robotic Device for Thoracoscopic IMA Harvest in MIDCAB. Utrecht MICABG Workshop III, Utrecht, The Netherlands. September 27, 1997.
18. A New Simple Intraoperative Angiographic Technique for MIDCAB. Utrecht MICABG Workshop III, Utrecht, The Netherlands. September 27, 1997.
19. Bilateral Thoracoscopic Lung Volume Reduction. Second International Conference on Emphysema, Fukuoka, Japan. November 22, 1997.
20. State of the Art in Endoscopic Cardiac Surgery. 5th International Symposium of Thoracoscopic Surgery, Tokyo, Japan. April 29-May 1, 1998.
21. New Approaches to Minimally Invasive Revascularization: Implications for Physiology Guidance. International Symposium on Revascularization Physiology and Outcome, St. Louis Missouri. May 8, 1998.
22. State of the Art in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery. Presentation and Program Committee, VATS ’98, Tokyo, Japan. May 29-30, 1998.
23. Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery. Royal Society of Medicine, London, England. June 12, 1998.
24. Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery in the Year 2000. Second International Congress on Computers and Robotics in the Operating Room 2000, Santa Barbara, California. June 18, 1998.
25. The Current Status and Outlook of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery. New Developments in Least-Invasive Surgery Conference, Orlando, Florida. October 27, 1998.
26. Towards Totally Endoscopic Bypass Surgery. 2nd International Symposium on Cardiovascular Surgery and Cardiology in the 2000s, New Delhi, India. October 29-31, 1998.
27. Harmonic Scalpel for Endoscopic IMA Harvesting. 2nd International Symposium on Cardiovascular Surgery and Cardiology in the 2000s, New Delhi, India. October 29-31, 1998.
28. Intraoperative Assessment of the MIDCAB Graft. The Magic of Minimally Invasive Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery, Cincinnati, Ohio. November 13-14, 1998.
29. Thoracoscopic First Rib Resection. Controversies in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hong Kong. November 20-21, 1998.
30. Totally Thoracoscopic IMA Harvest. Controversies in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hong Kong. November 20-21, 1998.
31. Towards Totally Thoracoscopic CABG. New Era Cardiac Care: Innovation & Technology, Scottsdale, Arizona. January 7-10, 1999.
32. Towards Totally Thorascopic CABG. International Symposium: Minimally Invasive Total Myocardial Revascularization, Tampa, Florida. March 19-20, 1999.
33. Towards Totally Robotic Endoscopic Surgery. 99th Congress of Japan Surgical Society, Fukuoka, Japan. March 24-26, 1999.
34. Totally Robotic Thoracoscopic CABG. Third International Congress on Computers and Robotics in the Operating Room 2000, Santa Barbara, California. July 16, 1999.
35. Robotic Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass. 11th Annual Cardiology Invitational, Akron, Ohio August 26 – 27, 1999.
36. Facilitated Suturing for Coronary Artery Bypass. Utrecht MIDCABG Workshop V & Hands-On., Utrecht, The Netherlands, September 3-4, 1999.
37. Three Generations of IMA Takedown. Latest Techniques in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery: Overview of an Updated Repertoire. Glasgow, Scotland, September 4, 1999.
38. Totally Thorascopic First Rib Resection. The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), Glasgow, Scotland, September 6, 1999.
39. 85th Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons, San Franscisco, California, October 10-12, 1999.
40. Towards Totally Endoscopic CABG. Grand Rounds, The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 14, 1999.
41. Totally Endoscopic Robotic CABG. International Workshop on Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Mumbia, India, February 22-23, 2000.
42. 13th Annual Meeting of the General Thoracic Surgical Club, Tucson, Arizona, March 9-12, 2000.
43. Sealants in Cardiac Surgery. International Symposium on Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, European Surgical Institute, Norderstedt, Germany, March 27-29, 2000
44. Totally Endoscopic Robotic CABG. 35th Anniversary Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, April 14018, 2000.
45. 81st Annual AATS Meeting, San Diego, California, May 6-10, 2000
46. Beating Heart Coronary Bypass. 7th World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery, Thye Hong Centre, Singapore, June 7-10, 2000.
47. ISMICS, Atlanta, Georgia, June 7-10, 2000.
48. Robotic Cardiac Surgery: Current Status and Future. 62nd ICS-US Annual Surgical Update, Boston, Massachusetts, July 25-29, 2000.
49. Robotic Cardiac Surgery. Zollinger Course, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, September 16, 2000.
50. Mammary Artery Mobilization With and Without a Robot. MIDCABG Conference, Utrecht, the Netherlands, October 6, 2000.
51. Enabling Endoscopic Cardiac Surgery. Zollinger Course, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, October 17, 2000.
52. 14th Annual General Thoracic Surgical Club, Captiva Island, Florida, March 9-11, 2001.
53. Robotic Surgery: “The Start of Something Big?” 29th Annual Meeting of Japan Society for Vascular Surgery, Fukuoka, Japan, March 23-24, 2001.
54. Toward Totally Endoscopic CABG. Frontiers in Cardiac Care, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois, June 2, 2001.
55. Beating Heart Robotic CABG with da Vinci. The Society for Heart Valve Disease, London, England, June 15-18, 2001.
56. Sealants – Alternative to Sutures? ISMICS, Munich, Germany, June 27-30, 2001.
57. Robotics. Moderator, ISMICS, Munich, Germany, June 27-30, 2001.
58. Total Endoscopic Esophagogasterectomy. 37th ICS Congress, Orlando, Florida, July 4-7, 2001.
59. Robotic Surgery and Thoracoscopic CABG. The Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Cape Town, South Africa, July 12-15, 2001.
60. Robotics and Other Exciting Evolving Technologies in Heart Surgery. Kettering Memorial Hospital, Dayton, Ohio, July 24, 2001.
61. Technology Transfer. Scoliosis Research Society Annual Meeting, Harrington Lecture, Cleveland, Ohio, September 20, 2001.
62. Toward Totally Endoscopic CABG. Quest For Excellence Conference, Columbus, Ohio, September 24, 2001.
63. Robotic Coronary Artery Bypass. Controversies in Adult Cardiac Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Heart Center, Los Angeles, California, October 5-6, 2001.
64. Thorascopic Resection of the First Rib. International Symposium on Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Royal College of Physicians, London, England, October 10, 2001.
65. New Devices in Cardiac Surgery. Southwest Ohio American Heart Association Cardiac & Pulmonary Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 25, 2001.
66. Lung Volume Reduction Surgery for Emphysema. Southwest Ohio American Heart Association Cardiac & Pulmonary Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 25, 2001.
67. Hybrid Procedures, E2F Decoy, Atrial Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation, Ventricular Coronary Shunts, and Anastomotic Devices. International Symposium on Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Hamburg, Germany, November 5-8, 2001.
68. Robotics in Cardiac Surgery: U.S. Da Vinci Coronary Experience. NewEra Cardiac Care 2002 Conference, Dana Point, California, January 4-6, 2002.
69. Proximal Connectors. Society of Thoracic Surgeons Conference, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, January 25-30, 2002.
70. Moderator of 3 Advances in Pulmonary Surgery Discussions. Society of Thoracic Surgeons Conference, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. January 25-30, 2002.
71. Toward Minimally Invasive Ablation for Atrial Fib. Evolving Concepts in Cardiovascular Intervention/Medtronic. Tucson, Arizona Feb 1-3, 2002
72. Robotics in Heart Surgery. The Kettering Cardiovascular Institute. Kettering, OH February 26, 2002.
73. Proximal Connectors. SJM Symmetry Institute. Aviara North San Diego, California April 5-7, 2002.
74. Clinical and Six-Month Angiographic Evaluation of Coronary Arterial Graft Interrupted Anastomoses using a Self-Closing Clip Device – A Multi-Center Prospective Clinical Trail. 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Association For Thoracic Surgery, Washington, D.C. May 5-8, 2002.

POSTGRADUATE WORKSHOPS AND COURSES FOR CME CREDITS

a) Course Director

1. Minimal Incision Coronary Bypass. Ethicon Endo-Surgery Course, New Jersey. September 24, 1996.
2. Minimal Incision Coronary Artery Bypass. Course Director. Endo-Surgery Institute Course, Cincinnati, Ohio. February 10-11, 1997.
3. MIDCAB Mini-Course. International College of Surgeons, Palm Springs, California. February 13-15, 1997.
4. First MIDCAB Training Course. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Tokyo, Japan. June 5-9, 1997.
5. Minimally Invasive Coronary Bypass. ATLS, Atlanta, Georgia. August 10-11, 1997.
6. 34th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, New Orleans, Louisiana. January 26-28, 1998.
7. International Worship for Cardiovascular Specialists, Hamburg, Germany. April 6-8, 1998.
8. 78th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, Boston, Massachusetts. May 3-6, 1998.
9. The 8th Annual Meeting of the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio. October 3, 1998.
10. The Magic of Minimally Invasive Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery, Cincinnati, Ohio. November 13-14, 1998.
11. 79th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, New Orleans, Louisiana. April 18-21, 1999.
12. 36th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. January 31-February 2, 2000.
13. Robotics in Cardiac Surgery – The First North American Perspective, Columbus, Ohio. February 11-12, 2000.
14. 37th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, New Orleans, Louisiana. January 29-31, 2001.
15. 14th Annual Meeting of the General Thoracic Surgical Club, Rochester, New York. March 8, 2001.
16. 3rd International Symposium on Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Hamburg, Germany. November 5-8, 2001.
17. NewEra Cardiac Care: Innovation & Technology, Dana Point, California. January 4-6, 2002.
18. 38th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. January 28-30, 2002
19. 82ND Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, Washington, DC. May 5-8, 2002.

b) Faculty

1. Anatomy of the Thoracic Spine. Videoscopic Anterior Approaches to Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Surgery Course, Endo-Surgery Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio. May 3-4, 1996.
2. Minimal Incision Coronary Bypass. ATLS, Atlanta, Georgia. November 2-4, 1996.
3. Coronary Stabilization. European Video-Assisted Cardiac Surgery Course, Strasbourg, France. June 2, 1997.
4. Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Course, Advanced Laparoscopy Training Center, Marietta, Georgia. January 16-17-1998.
5. The 2nd International Congress on Computers and Robotics in the Operating Room 2000, Santa Barbara, California. June 17-20, 1998.
6. Mini-CABG: The Cincinnati Experience. Minimally Invasive CABG: When? Why? How?, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, New York. September 14-15, 1998.
7. Physician’s Interactive Vascular Interpretation Tutorial, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. October 8-10, 1998.
8. Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery Courses, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. 1999-2000.
9. 6th Annual Zollinger Postgraduate Course in Surgery, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. September 14-16, 2000.
10. The Cox-Maze Procedure for Atrial Fibrillation, Director/Moderator, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. October 5-6, 2000.
11. Co-Chair, First Intuitive Surgical Cardiac Surgery Users Meeting, Frankfurt, Germany. October 8, 2000.
12. Cardiology Update 2000: Inflammation and Thrombosis, Managing Coronary Vascular Disease, The Ohio State University Center Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. October 13-14, 2000.
13. Robotic Cardiac Surgery and The Maze Procedure, Director/Moderator, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. January 13, 2001.
14. 34th Postgraduate Program of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, New Orleans, Louisiana. January 28, 2001.
15. How to Treat Atrial Fibrillation During Mitral Valve Surgery, Director/Moderator, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. February 24, 2001.
16. Robotic Technology in the Operating Room, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. May 4-5, 2001.
17. Frontiers In Cardiac Care, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois. June 2, 2001.
18. Program Committee, International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS), 4th Annual Meeting, Munich, Germany. June 27-30, 2001.
19. Telehealth Conference: Practicing Medicine for Today and Tomorrow, The Indiana University School of Medicine. November 15, 2001.
20. Grand Rounds: New Technology in Surgery: Opportunities and Future Directions, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. May 2, 2002.

TELESURGERY PRESENTATIONS

1. Advances in Thoracoscopic Surgery. Budapest, Hungary. November 1993. One live thoracic procedure.
2. Advances in Thoracoscopic Surgery. Warsaw, Poland. November 1993. Two live thoracic procedures.
3. Advances in Thoracoscopic Surgery. Moscow, Russia, December 1993. Two live thoracic procedures.
4. Numerous courses concerning endoscopic spine, emphysema, thoracoscopy and minimal incision coronary artery bypass surgery.
5. Advances in Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery. Endoscopic Surgery Symposium, St. Petersburg, Russia. September 1995. One live thoracic procedure.
6. Advances and the Future of Video Assisted Chest Surgery. Takamatsu, Japan. Two live thoracic procedures.
7. Lung Volume Reduction Surgery. Live video teleconference to Hamburg, Germany. March 25, 1996. One thoracic procedure.
8. Lung Volume Reduction Surgery. Live video teleconference. April 1, 1996.
9. Thoracoscopic Mobilization of LIMA with Cautery and Harmonic Scalpel: MIDCAB LIMA TO LAD. MIDCAB 1997, New York, New York. January 30-31, 1997. Live operative demonstration via telesurgery.
10. Thoracoscopic Mobilization of LIMA with Da Vinci Robotic System: TCT 1999. Washington, DC. September 24, 1999. Live operation via telesurgery
11. Thorascopic Mobilization of LIMA with Da Vinci Robotic System: CTT 2000. Bal Harbour, Florida. January 28, 2000. Live operation via telesurgery.
12. Endoscopic mammary artery mobilization, MIDCABG conference, University of Utrecht, October 5, 2000. Live operation via telesurgery.
13. Thorascopic cardiac surgery demonstrations with Da Vinci Robotic System, October 9 and 10, EACTS, 2000. Live operation via telesurgery.
14. Endoscopic mammary artery mobilization. The Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Cape Town, South Africa, July 12-15, 2001.
15. Endoscopic mammary artery mobilization. 15th Biennial Congress of Assoc. of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgeons. Bombay, India, December 6-9, 2001.
16. Endoscopic mammary artery mobilization and radial artery mobilization. New Delhi, Madras, India.
17. Ablation for atrial fibrillation with a new bipolar device. European Society of Cardiovascular Surgery, Helsinki, Finland, June 28, 2002.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

1. Knoepfler D, Wolf RK, Lias J. Talc pleurodesis under thoracoscopic directed control. American College of Surgeons. 1995.
2. Ohtsuka T, Wolf RK, Wurnig P, Flege JB. Applications of the harmonic scalpel for pericardial resection: report of four cases. Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery Interest Group International Symposium, Boston, Massachusetts. September 13-14, 1996.
3. Wolf RK, Flege JB. Saphenous vein grafts as an alternative conduit in MIDCAB. Utrecht MICABG Workshop III, Utrecht, The Netherlands. September 27, 1997.
4. Flege JB, Wolf RK. Partial Sternotomy for MIDCAB. Utrecht MICABG Workshop III, Utrecht, The Netherlands. September 27, 1997.
5. Thorascopic Mammary Artery Mobilization Can Safely Be Performed in Redo Minimally
Invasive Coronary Artery Bypass Operations (MIDCAB). Evolving Techniques and Technologies in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, San Antonio, Texas. January 22-23, 1999.
6. Ono M, Wolf RK, Schneeberger EW, Brown DA, Michler RE. Robotically assisted internal thoracic artery mobilization: Initial experience in the USA. Third Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Atlanta, George. June 8–10, 2000.

OTHER PRESENTATIONS

1. Moderator of Three Thoracoscopic Procedure Sessions. 4th World Conference in Endosurgery, Kyoto, Japan. June 17, 1994.
2. Surgical Grand Rounds on Emphysema Surgery. The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio. October 12, 1995.
3. Emphysema Surgery. MediClub of Cincinnati, St. Lucia. February 13, 1996.
4. Minimal Incision Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, VATS Lobectomy and VATS Spine Surgery. MediClub of Cincinnati, St. Lucia. February 13, 1996.
5. Telemedicine, Telesurgery and Advances in Minimal Incision Surgery. Chief Financial Officers Association of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio. February 20, 1996.
6. Minimal Incision Coronary Artery Revascularization. 21st Century Cardiac Surgery Conference, Austin, Texas. February 24, 1996.
7. The Application of Harmonic Scalpel for Thoracoscopic Pericardial Resection. Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery Interest Group International Symposium, Boston, MA. September 14, 1996.
8. Thoracoscopic IMA Harvest for MICABG Using the Harmonic Scalpel. Utrecht MICABG Workshop II, Utrecht, The Netherlands. October 4-5, 1996.
9. Application of Ultrasonic Scalpel for Thoracoscopic IMA Harvest. World Congress on Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Paris, France. May 30-31, 1997.
10. First Worldwide Hybrid Panel Meeting, Hamburg, Germany. September 1997.
11. COR (Comprehensive Optimal Revascularization) Institute, Columbia Hospital at Medical City, Dallas, Texas. Faculty member. September 8-9, 1997.
12. Is VATS Lobectomy an Adequate Cancer Operation? 34th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, New Orleans, Louisiana. January 28, 1998.
13. Endoscopic IMA Dissection with Harmonic Scalpel. Current Techniques in Video-Assisted Cardiac Surgery, Boston, Massachusetts. May 2, 1998.
14. Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery: The Christ Hospital Experience in Perspective. Second Annual International Preceptorship in Interventional Cardiology. June 3-5, 1998.
15. Thoracoscopic Mammary Artery Mobilization. Cardiac Surgery Conference, Dallas, Texas. October 17, 1998.
16. Computer Enhanced Endoscopic Harvesting of the Internal Mammary Artery. 3rd World Congress of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (ISMICS), Paris, France. May 21-22, 1999.
17. Totally Thorascopic First Rib Resection. Society of Thoracic Surgeons. September 5-8, 1999.
18. Annual Meeting for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. New Orleans, LA. January 28-31, 2001.
19. Ono M, Wolf RK, Angouras D, Schneeberger EW. Clinical trial of LIMA-to-LAD anastomosis using new suture-clip device. Fourth Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery. Munich, Germany. June 27-30, 2001.
20. Ono M, Wolf RK, Flege JB, Brown DA, Michler RE. Redo minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass. Fourth Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery. Munich, Germany. June 27-30, 2001.

FELLOWSHIP TEACHING AND MENTORING

Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Fellowship, Cincinnati, Ohio
Mentor for Toshiya Ohtsuka, M.D.
Assistant Professor, University of Tokyo, Japan
February 1996 - June 1997
Resulted in manuscripts—see below
Mentor for Peter Wurnig, M.D.
Registrar in Surgery, Vienna, Austria
July 1996 - June 1997
Resulted in manuscripts—see below
Mentor for Kagami Miyaji, M.D.
Assistant Professor, University of Tokyo, Japan
July 1997 - June 1998
Resulted in manuscripts—see below
Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Fellowship, Columbus, Ohio
Mentor for Minoru Ono, M.D.
September 1999 – 2001
Mentor for Dimitrios Angouras, M.D.
July 2000 – June 2002

PUBLICATIONS

1. Wolf RK, Buntin PT, Schmidt P, Siderys H. The placement of a LeVeen shunt into the right atrial appendage. J Indiana State Med Assoc 1981;74(4):224-225.
2. Wolf RK, Carmichael PA, Clark JH. Celiac artery aneurysmectomy with pancreatectomy. J Vasc Surg 1986;3:817-819.
3. Wolf RK, Berry RE. Transaxillary intra-aortic balloon tamponade in trauma. J Vasc Surg 1986;4:95-97.
4. Wright CB, Wolf RK, Lamberth W, Ketterhagen JP, Dunn EJ, Melvin DB, Flege JB. Diagnosis and management of peripheral vascular disease in patients with coronary artery disease. Cardio 1986; June:30-32.
5. Schroeder TJ, Melvin DB, Clardy CW, Wadhwa NK, Myre SA, Reising JM, Wolf RK, Collins JA, Pesce AJ, First MR. The use of cyclosporin and ketoconazole without nephrotoxicity in two cardiac transplant recipients. J Heart Transplant 1987;6:84-89.
6. Wolf RK, Williams EL II, Kistler PC. Transaxillary balloon catheter tamponade of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms without fluoroscopic control. Surg Gynecol & Obstet 1987;164:463-465.
7. Dunn EJ, Wolf RK, Wright CB, Callard GM, Flege JB. Presentation of undiagnosed pheochromocytoma during coronary artery bypass surgery. J Cardiovasc Surg 1989;30:284-387.
8. Kattrine L, Wolf RK, Wright CB. Pleural effusion and empyema thoracis. In: Rakel RE, ed. Conn’s Current Therapy. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 1994.
9. Crawford AH, Wolf RK, Wall EJ, et al. Pediatric Spinal Deformity. In: Regan, McAfee, Mack MJ, ed. Atlas of Endoscopic Spine Surgery. St. Louis: Quality Medical Publishing, 1995.
10. Broderick TM, Wolf RK. Coronary angioplasty to relieve a kinked venous bypass conduit. Cachet Cardiovasc Diagn 1995;35:2,161-4.
11. Mehlman CT, Crawford AH, Wolf RK. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS: endoscopic thoracoplasty technique. Spine 1997;22:2178-2182.
12. Ohtsuka T, Wolf RK, Hiratzka LF, Wurnig P, Flege JB. Thoracoscopic internal mammary artery harvest for MICABG using the harmonic scalpel. Ann Thorac Surg 1997;63:S107-109.
13. Flege JB, Wolf RK. Venous drainage to the heart-lung machine via the internal jugular vein. Ann Thorac Surg 1997;63-3,861.
14. Wolf RK, Ohtsuka T, Hiratzka LF, Wurnig P, Flege JB. Our experience with minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting and thoracoscopic internal mammary artery harvest with the harmonic scalpel. Cardiovasc J Southern Africa, SAMJ Suppl 1997;5:C285-8.
15. Ohtsuka T, Wolf RK, Flege JB. Anatomic relationship of the left phrenic nerve to the internal mammary artery. Ann Thorac Surg 1997;64:295.
16. Mehlman CT, Crawford AN, Wolf RK. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, endoscopic thoracoplasty technique. Spine 1997;22:18,2178-82.
17. Wolf RK, Ohtsuka T. Thoracoscopic perspectives of thoracic and mediastinal anatomy. In: Dickman CA, et al, ed. Thoracoscopic Spine Surgery. New York: Thieme Medical, 1998.
18. Wolf RK, Ohtsuka T. Takamoto S. Illustrated Minimally Invasive Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. Tokyo, Japan: Chugai Igaku-sha, 1998.
19. Ohtsuka T, Wolf RK, Wurnig P, Dunsker SB. Port-access first rib resection with new instruments: a report of two cases. J Endosc Surg Jan 1998.
20. Wolf RK, Ohtsuka T, Flege JB. Early results of thoracoscopic internal mammary artery harvest using an ultrasonic scalpel. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 1998;14:Suppl.1:S54-7.
21. McKenna RJ, Fischel RJ, Wolf RK, Wurnig P. Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for bronchogenic carcinoma. Seminars Thorac and Card Surg 1998;10:4,321-5.
22. Ohtsuka T, Wolf RK, Wurnig P, Park SE. Thoracoscopic limited pericardial resection with an ultrasonic scalpel. Ann Thorac Surg 1998;65:855-6.
23. Duhaylongsod FG, Mayfield WR, Wolf RK. Thoracoscopic harvest of the internal thoracic artery: a multicenter experience with 218 cases. Ann Thorac Surg 1998;66:1012-1017.
24. McKenna Jr RJ, Wolf RK, Brenner M, Fischel RJ, Wurnig P. Is lobectomy by video-assisted thoracic surgery an adequate cancer operation? Ann Thorac Surg 1998;66:1903-1907.
25. Crawford AH, Wolf RK. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. VATS chapter in new therapeutic modalities. In: Stanitski D, ed. Ortho Clinics NA 1998; Dec.
26. Wolf RK, Ohtsuka T, Flege JB. Thoracoscopic mammary artery harvest with the harmonic scalpel. In: Mack MJ, et al, ed. Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery. St. Louis: Quality Medical Publishing, 1999.
27. Wolf RK. MIDCAB: the intraoperative assessment of the coronary bypass graft. In: Mack MJ, et al. Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery. St. Louis: Quality Medical Publishing, 1999.
28. Wolf RK, Miyaji K, Flege JB. Saphenous vein grafts for minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999;117:822.
29. Miyaji K, Wolf RK, Flege JB. Surgical results of video-assisted minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass. Ann Thorac Surg 1999;67-1018-21.
30. Miyaji K, Wolf RK, Flege JB. Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass for redo patients. Ann Thorac Surg 1999;67:1677-81.
31. Miyaji K, Wolf RK, Flege JB. Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass using H graft for pleural symphysis. Ann Thorac Surg 1999;68:234-5.
32. Ohtsuka T; Wolf RK, Dunsker SB. Port-access first-rib resection. Surgical Endoscopy 1999;13:940-2.
33. Wolf RK, Miyaji K, Flege JB. Thoracoscopic mammary artery mobilization in redo minimally invasive coronary bypass operations. Ann Thorac Surg 1999;68:1540-1.
34. Izzat MG, Wolf RK, Yim APC. Quality assessment in minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting. In: Yim APC, et al, ed. Minimal Access Cardiothoracic Surgery. Philadelphia, WB Saunders, 1999.
35. Crawford AH, Wolf RK. Video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS) for the management of spinal deformities. In: Yim APC, et al, ed. Minimal Access Cardiothoracic Surgery. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 1999.
36. Wolf RK, Crawford AH, Hahn BY. Thoracoscopic first rib resection for thoracic outlet syndrome. In: Yim APC, et al, ed. Minimal Access Cardiothoracic Surgery. Philadelphia, WB Saunders, 1999.
37. Wolf RK. Room setup and instrumentation. In: Yim APC, et al, ed. Minimal Access Cardiothoracic Surgery. Philadelphia, WB Saunders, 1999.
38. Duhaylongsod FG, Mayfield WR, Wolf RK. Thoracoscopic harvest of the internal thoracic artery: a multicenter experience in 218 cases. Ann Thorac Surg 1998;66:1012-7.
39. Wolf RK, Miyaji K, Mayfield WR. A new robotic device to facilitate thoracoscopic mammary artery harvest in MIDCAB. Ann Thorac Surg [Submitted].
40. Wurnig PN, Hollaus PH, Ohtsuka T, Flege JB, Wolf RK. Thoracoscopic direct clipping of the thoracic duct for chylopericardium and chylothorax. Ann Thorac Surg 2000 70:1662-1665.
41. Wolf RK. Invited Commentary. Ann. Thorac Surg 2000 70:2033.
42. Wolf RK. Thoracic outlet syndrome: endoscopic removal of the first rib. In: Pearson FG, et al, ed. Thoracic Surgery, 2nd Edition. Philadelphia: WB Saunders 2002:1484-1490
43. Flege JB, Wolf RK. Minimally Invasive Axillary-Coronary Artery Bypass. The Heart Surgery Forum, #2000-4542, June 15, 2000.
44. Ono M, Wolf RK. Heart injury and endocarditis caused by a needle migrated from the left arm. European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery 2001 20:5: 1074.
45. Wolf, RK. Surgical Robotics: Is It Ready For Vascular Surgery? The Japanese Journal of Vascular Surgery, 2001: 10:2:73-75
46. Ono M, Wolf RK. Nitinol Clips for Coronary Anastomoses. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg [In Press – 2001].
47. Wolf RK. Computer-Assisted or Robotic Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. In: Operative Techniques in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Cox JL, Editor 2001; 6:3:177-88.
48. Flege JB, Wolf RK. Left Axillary to left anterior descending coronary artery. Ann Thorac Surg 2001 72:2183a
49. Ono M, Wolf RK. Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm after mitral valve replacement. Ann Thorac Surg 2002;73: 1303-1305.
50. Ono M, Wolf RK, Angouras DC, Brown DA, Goldstein AH, Michler RE. Short- and long-term results of open heart surgery in patients with abdominal solid organ transplant. European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery 2002 21: 1061-1072.
51. Ono M, Wolf RK, Angouras D, Schneeburger EW. Early experience of coronary artery bypass grafting with a new self-closing clip device. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2002;123: 783-787.
52. Wolf, RK. Where are going with computer assisted or robotic cardiac surgery? J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 2002;123: 1029-1030.
53. Hollaus PH, Wurnig CH, Wolf RK, Ohtsuka T, Pridun NS. A new method for digital videodocumentation in surgical procedures and minimally invasive surgery. [In Press – 2002]

ABSTRACTS

1. Wolf RK, Dunn EJ, Wright CB, Callard GM, Flege JB. The unusual intraoperative presentation of pheochromocytoma during coronary artery bypass surgery. J Cardiovasc Surg 1987;28:57
2. Wolf RK. The expanding role of video thoracoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases. Surg Endosc 1994;5:494-552.
3. Wolf RK. Cystic Schwannoma. Current Therapy 1994:178-9.
4. Mehlman CT, Crawford AH, Wolf RK, Wall EJ. V.A.T.S. Perioperative Parameters, 1995.
5. Wolf RK, Alderman E, Caskey M, Raczkowski A, Dullum M, Lundell D, Hill A, Wang N, Daniel M. Clinical and Six-Month Angiographic Evaluation of Coronary Arterial Graft Interrupted Anastomoses using a Self-Closing Clip Device – A Multi-Center Prospective Clinical Trial. [Submitted – AATS 2002].

Related websites:
The Wolf Mini-MAZE Procedure
Website of George Rabe (recipient of the procedure)

source: http://surgery.uc.edu/wolf2.html 28dec2005