Matthias Peltz, M.D.

Surgical Director of Cardiac Transplant

Sarah M. and Charles E. Seay Distinguished Chair in Thoracic Surgery

Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery
Heart Transplant Surgery
Mechanical Circulatory Support

Biography

Matthias Peltz, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Dr. Peltz is a cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso. He completed medical school and all of his postgraduate training at UT Southwestern, including residencies in general and thoracic surgery, as well as a research fellowship through the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Peltz has seen and done much in his 15-plus years on the UT Southwestern campus. After completing his thoracic surgery residency in 2009, he joined the UT Southwestern faculty and was named Surgical Director of the Heart Transplantation Program in 2011.

On the research end, Dr. Peltz is studying cardiac metabolism and the heart’s energy sources, as well as organ preservation and how to better support donor hearts during cold storage. The American Heart Association funded his cardiac metabolism research, and he received funding from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and the Graham Education and Research Foundation for his studies on organ preservation. He served as principal investigator on both projects.

Editorially, Dr. Peltz has written book chapters on valvular heart disease and on organ donation. His research has been published in the Journal of Cardiac Surgery, the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, and the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, among other medical journals.

Dr. Peltz is an abstract reviewer for the American Heart Association and an ad hoc reviewer for the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, American Heart Journal, ASAIO Journal and Cardiac Catheterization and Interventions.

He is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery and is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, American Heart Association, European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Texas Transplantation Society, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, Texas Medical Association, Dallas County Medical Society, and Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. He is the heart representative and serves on the legislative committee for the Texas Transplantation Society.

Dr. Peltz was included in D Magazine's Best Doctors list for 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Personal Note

Dr. Peltz was born in Germany and grew up in El Paso. He enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife and two children. He also is a big fan of soccer, which he played on the collegiate, semi-pro, and professional level.

Meet Dr. Peltz

Matthias Peltz, M.D., would like to knock heart disease off its perch. It has been the leading killer of patients nationwide for far too long, he says.

“We have a broad portfolio of therapies that we can offer to patients with end-stage heart disease. We are second to none in the region.”

Dr. Peltz, Professor of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery and Surgical Director of Cardiac Transplant at UT Southwestern, is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon and treats patients with surgical heart disease. He is especially interested in coronary artery bypass grafting and heart transplantation. He is also an active participant in the UT Southwestern Lung Transplantation Program.

Dr. Peltz is involved in all aspects of transplantation: evaluating candidates, procuring organs, performing surgery, and providing follow-up care. His research on organ preservation could even increase the number of donor hearts that are available for transplant.

“I’m researching how to support the donor heart better during storage to see if we can use hearts that we typically don’t take,” Dr. Peltz says. “If we can increase the donor supply, this therapy can be offered to more patients.”

The future for patients with end-stage heart disease is promising, Dr. Peltz says. Patients will have more options, from transplants to the various types of heart assist devices that increasingly are available, he says.

In the meantime, patients should eat right, eliminate all risk factors within their control, such as smoking, and start an exercise program. Heart disease is sure to drop in the ranks if patients do their part, he says.