For more than 50 years, Hahnemann has cultivated its tradition of providing high quality cardiac care. The hospital's tradition of being a leader in cardiac services coincided with the post-war recognition of heart disease as the nation's number one killer of both men and women. Throughout the period, Hahnemann was well known for its cardiovascular research as well as its pioneering procedures.

In 1939, Hahnemann cardiologist George Geckeler was one of the first to record human heart sounds, which he used with his specially developed "stethophones" for group teaching. Geckeler's student William Likoff became a distinguished Hahnemann cardiologist, research and academic.

Perhaps the most notable event in Hahnemann's history occurred in 1948 when Charles P. Bailey, MD, performed the world's first successful valvular surgery within the closed heart, which established Hahnemann as a leader in the study and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Bailey's many innovative procedures and his long career with the hospital helped shape its future. One of Bailey's contributions was the founding of the Cardiovascular Institute (CVI), an interdisciplinary working group that saw itself as the vanguard of research in heart disease and heart surgery. It was an unusually integrated group of cardiologists, surgeons and basic scientists performing cardiology research. In 1999, CVI came under new leadership and is now prospering in its continuing commitment to medical research, education and collaboration with health care providers across the region.

Over the years, Hahnemann has continued to build its program and attract leading cardiac specialists. In the 1970s and 80s, the hospital was a regional leader in open-heart procedures and catheterizations. In 1992, Hahnemann branded itself "The Heart Hospital," a hospital within a hospital with 200 beds dedicated to heart patients.

Since then, Hahnemann has continued to provide innovative and patient-focused cardiac care. Our association with MCP(TM) Hahnemann School of Medicine affords patients the benefits of current medical knowledge. Our medical staff members hold faculty positions at the medical school and attending physicians provide direct patient care.