NEL Animal Medical Foundation Becomes First in Korea to Achieve 100 Open-Heart Surgeries

Achieves Korea's first and highest surgical volume with a success rate over 97%

"Heart disease is no longer incurable... Establishing a new standard for surgical cures"

NEL Animal Medical Foundation (Director: Dr. Eom Tae-heum) announced that it has successfully performed its 100th canine open-heart surgery on November 25, becoming the first veterinary institution in South Korea to reach this milestone. This achievement, accomplished just two years after their first successful mitral valve repair in late 2023, signals a new era in high-level veterinary thoracic surgery.

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The medical team at NEL Animal Medical Foundation celebrates achieving South Korea's first 100th open-heart surgery milestone on November 25, 2025. (Image: NEL Animal Medical Foundation)

Historically, canine heart disease was viewed as a chronic condition managed only by medication. However, NEL Animal Medical Foundation has established a new standard for surgical cures utilizing Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB). The foundation has demonstrated unmatched growth, stabilizing at a peak capacity of four surgeries per week in late 2025.

Beyond volume, the NEL Animal Heart Team achieved exceptional clinical outcomes. In the second half of 2025, the team recorded a success rate of over 97%, with 35 out of 36 patients successfully discharged. Significantly, 100% of these patients were able to completely stop heart medication and return to normal lives.

The foundation has also proven its technical prowess globally by succeeding in high-difficulty cases, including:

• Surgery on an ultra-small dog weighing just 1.6 kg.
• World-first surgical correction of a complex Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD).
• Surgical treatment of Infective Endocarditis (IE).

This success is rooted in Director Eom Tae-heum’s philosophy of "Respect for Life." Recognizing the limitations of medical management for heart valve disease, Dr. Eom has dedicated himself to perfecting curative surgical solutions.

"The number '100' is more than just a record; it signifies that we have gifted families a new future," said Dr. Eom Tae-heum, Director of NEL Animal Medical Foundation. "We will not stop challenging the paradigms of intractable diseases. The goal I had when I started—to reach a day when owners considering heart surgery no longer have to fear the success rate—has finally become a reality."

Operating the specialized 'NEL Animal Heart Foundation' with university-level equipment, the foundation continues to lead efforts in making open-heart surgery a safe, standard treatment.

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"We will not stop challenging the paradigms of intractable diseases. The goal I had when I started—to reach a day when owners considering heart surgery no longer have to fear the success rate—has finally become a reality."