The DeBakey Difference Texas Surgical Associates is built on the collective strengths of 14 board-certified cardiovascular surgeons. Each carries a distinguished record of perfecting and teaching the world's most advanced surgical techniques. In fact, seven of the founders trained and worked with Dr. Michael E. DeBakey - the acclaimed heart specialist who pioneered many of the world's leading heart-transplant and heart-assist procedures. Since its formation in July 1997, Texas Surgical Associates physicians have performed more than 5,000 cardiovascular and thoracic procedures annually - more than any other group of cardiovascular surgeons in the Houston area.