From our very beginnings, the Department of Surgery has contributed meaningfully to the provision of quality health care services. Our firsts range from authoring the first textbook in this country on aseptic and antiseptic surgery to performing the initial liver transplantation in the State of New York. Today, we have a cohort of world class surgeons that possess more surgical experience than any hospital in the Northeast and an unmatched capacity of 138 operating rooms.
Our History
1855
Admitted our first patient on June 8, three days after opening our doors. The patient, a 42-year-old male with a fistula in-ano, went home five days later in good condition.
1882
Arpad G. Gerster was named a Chief of Mount Sinai’s Surgical Services, serving from 1882-1914. In 1888, he wrote the first book in the U.S. on aseptic and antiseptic principles. This is also the first U.S. surgical textbook to use halftone photographs, most taken at Lenox Hill and Mount Sinai hospitals. In 1885, he was very early in suggesting that surgery spreads cancer.
1901
Reported the first successful colectomy (staged) for colitis in the United States.
1905
Sydney Yankauer performed the first successful removal of a foreign object via bronchoscopy in New York. He also developed the Yankauer suction, clamps, an endoscope and bronchoscope, ether anesthesia mask, and many otolaryngeal operative instruments.
1907
Explained repair procedure for femoral hernia, a technique that is still in use today.
1908
Described thromboangiitis obliterans, also known as Buerger's disease, a rare disease of the arteries and veins.
1910
Performed the first successful endotracheal procedure. Others had tried and failed.
1914
Accomplished the first successful pulmonary resection for suppurative lung disease.
1915
Introduced the citrate method of preserving blood, thereby greatly simplifying transfusion and eliminating the need for direct donor-to-recipient transfusion.
1920
Performed the first gastrectomy in the United States for peptic ulcer disease.
1925
Published a textbook, Thoracic Surgery, which becomes the standard reference work on the subject.
1932
Described regional ileitis, now known as Crohn's disease.
1936
Described the one-stage procedure for drainage of putrid lung abscess. The paper has become a classic in thoracic surgery.
1940
Reported the first survivors following ligation of an infected patent ductus arteriosus.
1944
Noted the first successful resection of carcinoma of the middle third of the esophagus with reestablishment of continuity.
1951
Established a patient self-help group of Mount Sinai ileostomy and later also colostomy patients; called the QT Club named after wards Q & T. This is the first ever patient group for ostomates.
1952
Created the Division of Plastic Surgery.
1961
Created the divisions of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery.
1962
Affiliated with a city hospital to provide additional trauma experience for the residents in the training program.
1967
Performed the first kidney transplant at Mount Sinai.
1980
First to show the association between estrogen receptors and obesity in breast cancer patients.
1982
Noted for the first time that peri-operative blood transfusion reduces immunity and leads to increased recurrence in colorectal malignancy.
1988
Performed the first liver transplant in New York State.
1992
Formed one of the first academic Divisions of Laparoscopic Surgery.
1996
Instituted an endovascular stent program.
2010
First in New York State to perform a single-incision laparoscopic splenectomy and cholecystectomy, removing the spleen and gallbladder of a patient completely through a one-inch incision hidden in the belly button.
2016
Boasts a resident training program with more than 70 residents. Our department includes 10 divisions and more than 200 full-time faculty members across the Mount Sinai Health System, all dedicated to patient care, teaching, and research.