Gabriel Loor MD, FACC, FCCP

Dr. Gabriel Loor specializes in the clinical evaluation and surgical management of patients with advanced cardiothoracic disease including coronary artery, aortic, and valvular heart disease. Dr. Loor has a special interest in advanced heart and lung failure and is the surgical director of the Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center Lung Transplantation Program. 

Dr. Loor received his cardiac surgical and transplant training at Cleveland Clinic. He spent several years at the University of Minnesota as an assistant professor in cardiac surgery and director of the lung transplant program. There he significantly increased the volume and quality of lung transplantation through donor utilization, reduction of patient waitlist times, and adoption of various innovations. In addition, he was responsible for several quality improvement initiatives including building the aortic and adult congenital surgery practice. Since Dr. Loor’s arrival in Houston, the Baylor College of Medicine Lung transplant program has seen a significant increase in the volume and breadth of cases as well as innovation. Dr. Loor maintains an active cardiac surgical practice and has an interest in minimally invasive aortic valve procedures including minimal access surgery and transfemoral valve replacement (TAVR). 

Dr. Loor's research interests include improved donor utilization and maximizing recipient outcomes. He is the national principal investigator on several trials using ex vivo lung perfusion platforms to increase donor yield and quality. He is credited with the first “breathing lung transplantation” in the Midwest performed in 2014 and in Texas in 2018. Dr. Loor performed the first donation after cardiac death (DCD) lung transplant in the US in 2015 and the first DCD lung transplant using a portable EVLP in the US. His translational lab focuses on the use of this technology to improve the quality and quantity of potential lung transplants. Dr. Loor has published several key papers on the prolonged preservation of donor organs with an emphasis on reducing ischemic injury and inflammatory response. He has also published several articles on blood conservation, safety checklists, and surgical outcomes after adult cardiac surgery.