Michael Wait, M.D.

Transplant

Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery
Lung Transplant Surgery
Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension

Biography

Michael Wait, M.D., is a Professor of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, as well as Chief of the Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Service at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital and Parkland Hospital.

Dr. Wait holds a degree in biology from Baylor University, and he earned his medical degree at UT Southwestern, where he also completed residencies in internal medicine, general surgery, and thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.

Certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, he joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 1993.

In addition to his surgical and administrative roles, he serves actively on the Heart and Lung Selection committees, the Parkland Surgical Chiefs Committee, the Promotion and Tenure Committee, and the Parkland OR Committee.

Dr. Wait has authored numerous book chapters and dozens of articles on cardiothoracic care.

He has been included in D Magazine's Best Doctors list multiple times and was named a Super Doctor by Texas Monthly in 2018.

Dr. Wait is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, the Dallas County Medical Society, the Texas Medical Association, the Parkland Surgical Society, the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Cardiology, the Southwestern Surgical Congress, the American College of Chest Physicians, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

In 2018, Dr. Wait received UT Southwestern's Program Development Award.

Personal Note

Dr. Wait was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Colorado. He enjoys mountain climbing and spending time with his wife, Jill Scott, and their children and extended families. He also loves reading books by C. S. Lewis and John Grisham, working at his church, bicycling, landscaping, and tending to his farm animals.

Meet Dr. Wait

Heart and Lung Surgery Expert

In his three decades at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Michael Wait, M.D., has become a leading expert on cardiothoracic care and heart and lung transplantation. As Chief of the Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Service at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital and Parkland Hospital, he is leading the heart and lung surgery teams into their next era of innovation.

"We’re actively pursuing advances in cardiopulmonary bypass that will allow us to do safer heart surgery on all patients,” Dr. Wait says. “We’re also anticipating improvements in organ preservation for patients who have to undergo heart and lung transplants.” These advances will improve outcomes for people who undergo heart and lung surgery and increase the number of people eligible to receive lifesaving procedures such as transplants.

Dr. Wait participated in UT Southwestern’s first use of the ECMO artificial lung machine during a lung transplant, and he is proud to be part of a team that has performed more than 750 lung transplants. But his focus is less on history and more on progress. He is part of leading-edge research at UT Southwestern and participates in several FDA-approved clinical trials, including a study of the On-X heart valve that aims to reduce or eliminate the need for blood thinners in patients with heart disease.

Another trial he’s part of studies the effects of longer-lasting pain relief medications that wear off only after three or four days – rather than four to six hours – and hopefully shorten hospital stays.

Dr. Wait has devoted his career to treating patients with advanced heart disease, but he believes people can help keep themselves out of his office by following a few simple tips: exercise, lose weight, stop smoking, and see a dentist regularly.

“A lot of heart valve infections come from people with bad teeth,” Dr. Wait says. “It’s related to the frequency and severity of bacteria that enters the bloodstream. These infections occur frequently – and they are often worse – in patients with poor dental habits.”

Education & Training

Residency - Parkland Memorial Hospital (1990-1992), Thoracic Surgery
Residency - UT Southwestern Medical Center (1985-1990), General Surgery
Residency - UT Southwestern Medical Center (1983-1985), Internal Medicine
Medical School - UT Southwestern Medical School (1979-1983)

Professional Associations & Affiliations

American College of Chest Physicians (1994)
Society of Thoracic Surgeons (1996)
Southern Thoracic Surgical Association (1999-2008)

Honors & Awards

D Magazine Best Doctor 2020
Program Development Award – UT Southwestern 2018
Castle Connolly Top Doctors 2008-2013, "Best In American Medicine"
Texas Super Docs 2006-2012, "Best Doctors in Texas" featured in Texas Monthly and D Magazine
President's Research Council Award 1993, UT Southwestern
Alpha Omega Alpha 1983
Phi Beta Kappa 1979
Alpha Epsilon Delta 1979, Premedical Honor Society

Books & Publications

Books
- The thoracic surgeon's role in the management of patients with HIV infection and AIDS in Chest Surgery Clinics of North America
  DiMaio JM, Wait MA (1999), Philadelphia, WB Saunders
- Surgical Technique of Thoracic Organ Recovery in The Handbook of Organ Retrieval and Preservation 1st ed
  Wait MA, Jessen ME, Meyer DM, Ring WSR (1999), RG Landes Co
- Management of Multiple Organ Donors in The Handbook of Organ Retrieval and Preservation 1st ed
  Meyer DM, Jessen ME, Wait MA, Ring WSR (1999), RG Landes Co
- The Cardiovascular System in The Physiologic Basis of Surgery 4th Edition
  Beckles d, Wait MA (2007), Philadelphia, Lippincott William & Wilkins
Publications
- Assessment of aortic regurgitation by transesophageal color Doppler imaging of the vena contracta: validation against an intraoperative aortic flow probe.
  Willett DL, Hall SA, Jessen ME, Wait MA, Grayburn PA Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2001 Apr 37 5 1450-5
- Assessment of aortic regurgitation by transesophageal color doppler imaging of the vena contracta: validation against an intraoperative aortic flow probe
  Willett D, Hall S, Jessen M, Wait M, Grayburn P Journal of American College of Cardiology 2001 37 1450-1455
- Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
  Wait, MA Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings 2000 13/2 121-127
- The Cardiovascular System, Chapter 15 in The Physiologic Basis of Surgery 4th edition
  Beckles D, Wait MA in The Physiologic Basis of Surgery, 4th ed October 2007 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
- The thoracic surgeon's role in the management of patients with HIV infection and AIDS
  DiMaio, JM and Wait, MA Chest Surgery Clinics of North America February 1999 9/1 97-112
- Perfusion preservation versus static preservation for cardiac transplantation: effects on myocardial function and metabolism.
  Rosenbaum DH, Peltz M, DiMaio JM, Meyer DM, Wait MA, Merritt ME, Ring WS, Jessen ME The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation 2008 Jan 27 1 93-9
- Thoracoscopic management of empyema thoracis.
  Wait MA, Beckles DL, Paul M, Hotze M, Dimaio MJ Journal of minimal access surgery 2007 Oct 3 4 141-8
- Contemporary techniques and safety of cardiovascular procedures in the surgical management of renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus.
  Lubahn JG, Sagalowsky AI, Rosenbaum DH, Dikmen E, Bhojani RA, Paul MC, Dolmatch BL, Josephs SC, Benaim EA, Levinson BS, Wait MA, Ring WS, DiMaio JM The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery 2006 Jun 131 6 1289-95
- Effects of early steroid withdrawal after heart transplantation.
  Rosenbaum DH, Adams BC, Mitchell JD, Jessen ME, Paul MC, Kaiser PA, Pappas PA, Meyer DM, Wait MA, Drazner MH, Yancy CW, Ring WS, DiMaio JM The Annals of thoracic surgery 2006 Aug 82 2 637-44; discussion 644
- Perioperative myocardial infarction secondary to dynamic circumflex coronary artery occlusion after mitral valve repair.
  Meursing DF, Boonswang NA, Dobrilovic N, Wait MA Texas Heart Institute journal / from the Texas Heart Institute of St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital 2006 33 1 85-7
- Infective endocarditis associated with a scorpion sting.
  Wheatley GH, Wait MA, Jessen ME The Annals of thoracic surgery 2005 Oct 80 4 1489-90
- Routine computed tomography screening of the chest in high-risk cardiac transplant recipients may improve survival.
  Rosenbaum DH, Bhojani RA, Dikmen E, Kaiser PA, Paul MC, Wait MA, Meyer DM, Jessen ME, Yancy CW, Rosenblatt RL, Torres F, Perkins S, Ring WS, DiMaio JM The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation 2005 Dec 24 12 2043-7
- Improved pain management outcomes with continuous infusion of a local anesthetic after thoracotomy.
  Wheatley GH, Rosenbaum DH, Paul MC, Dine AP, Wait MA, Meyer DM, Jessen ME, Ring WS, DiMaio JM The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery 2005 Aug 130 2 464-8
- Left hemiparesis from atrial myxoma emboli.
  Le BD, De Lemos JA, Wait MA, Goff G, Boehrer J, Peterson GE Cardiology in review 2003 Jan-Feb 11 1 41-4
- Delayed presentations of aortic valve endocarditis in patients with thermal injury
  Apple, J., Hunt JL., Wait, M., Purdue, G. Journal of Trauma, Injury, Infection, and Critical Care 2002 52 406-409
- OPCAB selection bias.
  Wait MA The Annals of thoracic surgery 2001 May 71 5 1751-2
- Port site metastasis after laparoscopic staging of esophageal carcinoma.
  Freeman RK, Wait MA The Annals of thoracic surgery 2001 Mar 71 3 1032-4
- Indications for using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery to diagnose diaphragmatic injuries after penetrating chest trauma.
  Freeman RK, Al-Dossari G, Hutcheson KA, Huber L, Jessen ME, Meyer DM, Wait MA, DiMaio JM The Annals of thoracic surgery 2001 Aug 72 2 342-7
- Management of Multiple Organ Donors
  Meyer DM, Jessen ME, Wait MA, Ring WSR The Handbook of Organ Retrieval and Preservation 1999 1st Edition Chapter 8
- A randomized trial of empyema therapy.
  Wait MA, Sharma S, Hohn J, Dal Nogare A Chest 1997 Jun 111 6 1548-51
- AIDS-related pneumothorax.
  Wait MA The Annals of thoracic surgery 1997 Jul 64 1 290-1
- A technique to protect the left internal thoracic artery.
  Wait MA The Annals of thoracic surgery 1997 Apr 63 4 1183-5
- Early evacuation of traumatic retained hemothoraces using thoracoscopy: a prospective randomized trial
  Meyer DM, Jessen ME, Wait MA, Estrera AS Annals of Thoracic Surgery 1997 64 1396-1401
- Importance of complete system removal of infected cardioverter-defibrillators.
  Mull DH, Wait MA, Page RL, Jessen ME The Annals of thoracic surgery 1995 Sep 60 3 704-6
- Traumatic coronary sinocameral fistula from a penetrating cardiac injury: case report and review of the literature.
  Wait MA, Mueller M, Barth MJ, Brickner E, Salman T, Jessen ME The Journal of trauma 1994 Jun 36 6 894-7
- Dobutamine stress echocardiography identifies hibernating myocardium and predicts recovery of left ventricular function after coronary revascularization.
  Cigarroa CG, deFilippi CR, Brickner ME, Alvarez LG, Wait MA, Grayburn PA Circulation 1993 Aug 88 2 430-6
- Contemporary assessment of laryngotracheal trauma.
  Bhojani RA, Rosenbaum DH, Dikmen E, Paul M, Atkins BZ, Zonies D, Estrera AS, Wait MA, Meyer DM, Jessen ME, DiMaio JM The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery 2005 Aug 130 2 426-32
- The thoracic surgeon's role in the management of patients with HIV infection and AIDS.
  DiMaio JM, Wait MA Chest surgery clinics of North America 1999 Feb 9 1 97-111
- Treatment of AIDS-related spontaneous pneumothorax. A decade of experience.
  Wait MA, Dal Nogare AR Chest 1994 Sep 106 3 693-6
- Hypothermic circulatory arrest for repair of injuries of the thoracic aorta and great vessels.
  Peltz M, Douglass DS, Meyer DM, Wait MA, DiMaio JM, Ring WS, Jessen ME Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery 2006 Oct 5 5 560-5
- Differentiating true versus pseudo left ventricular aneurysm: a case report and review of diagnostic strategies.
  Cho MN, Mehta SK, Matulevicius S, Weinstein D, Wait MA, McGuire DK Cardiology in review 2006 Nov-Dec 14 6 e27-30
- Frequency and significance of right bundle branch block after cardiac transplantation.
  Jessen ME, Olivari MT, Wait MA, Meyer DM, Yancey CW, Ring WS The American journal of cardiology 1994 May 73 13 1009-11
- Endotherapy for a 5-cm mid-esophageal perforation with tandem stenting above the lower esophageal sphincter (with videos).
  Tang SJ, Singh S, Wait MA, Mullican MA, Scott DJ Surgical endoscopy 2009 May
- Iatrogenic esophageal submucosal dissection after attempted diagnostic gastroscopy (with videos).
  Tang SJ, Tang L, Jazrawi SF, Meyer D, Wait MA, Myers LL The Laryngoscope 2009 Jan 119 1 36-8
- Surgical treatment of thoracic empyema in HIV-infected patients: severity and treatment modality is associated with CD4 count status.
  Khwaja S, Rosenbaum DH, Paul MC, Bhojani RA, Estrera AS, Wait MA, DiMaio JM Chest 2005 Jul 128 1 246-9
- Pulmonary mucormycosis.
  Dobrilovic N, Wait MA The Annals of thoracic surgery 2005 Jan 79 1 354
- Treatment of coronary heart disease with minimally invasive surgery.
  Wait MA Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center) 2000 Apr 13 2 121-7
- Surgical technique - Thoracic organ recovery
  Wait MA, Meyer DM, Jessen ME, Ring WSR The Handbook of Organ Retrieval and Preservation 1999 1st Edition Chapter 9
- Early evacuation of traumatic retained hemothoraces using thoracoscopy: a prospective, randomized trial.
  Meyer DM, Jessen ME, Wait MA, Estrera AS The Annals of thoracic surgery 1997 Nov 64 5 1396-400; discussion 1400-1
- Effect of preoperative antioxidant supplements on perioperative myocardial injury.
  Wait MA, Grayburn PA The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery 1997 Dec 114 6 1127-8
- Reducing neurological complications after cardiac transplantation: technical considerations.
  Jessen ME, Meyer DM, Moncrief CL, Wait MA, Melamed NB, Ring WS Journal of cardiac surgery 1993 Sep 8 5 546-53
- Changing clinical spectrum of spontaneous pneumothorax.
  Wait MA, Estrera A American journal of surgery 1992 Nov 164 5 528-31

Research

Feasibility Study: A phase 3, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel-Group, Placebo-Controlled Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Intercostal Nerve Block with the Study Drug in Subjects Undergoing Posterolateral Thoracotomy
Randomized, Multicenter, Double-Blind, Group Sequential Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Immunogenicity, and Safety of a Single Dose of Merck 0657nI Staphylococcus aureus Vaccine (V710) in Adult Patients Scheduled for Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Randomized Trial of Variable Anticoagulation with On-X Valve
Randomized Evaluation of CABG On vs. Off Pump (RECOOP)