“Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity.”

—Hippocrates

Christopher Salerno, MD, a world-renowned pioneer in the field of cardiac surgery, was eager to unlatch the ingress to his life’s storybook. Being ecstatic was an understatement. As with all of our feature subjects this year, we were chomping at the bit to get to know him on a deeper level. Behind the mask, revealed is a devoted father, husband, physician, cyclist, golfer and cancer survivor—a chapter which has heavily influenced his unique outlook on life and provided a rich understanding of the patient experience. “Treat others the way you want to be treated” is a wise saying that sets the tone for his dynamic approach to his clinical practice. Once a patient himself, he values the importance of compassion and complete care, which deeply impacts a patient’s drive to push on.

From the start of our conversation, Dr. Salerno made it crystal clear that the love of his family dwells at the foundation of his existence, keeping his heart beating and feet grounded. “Egos are best served if set aside,” is what his wife tells him, which is partially responsible for the bright humility he projects.

Dr. Salerno’s inspiration to go into medicine was rooted in the experience of growing up with a sick mother, who passed away after a kidney transplant many years ago. Her daunting journey set his gleaming pathway in life and led him into the enticingly intricate field of cardiac surgery. This one-of-a-kind field requires not only expert precision and dexterity, but also a great deal of teamwork. “It takes a village to do cardiac surgery,” he uttered as he proudly professed his love for the specialty.

In addition to being an expert heart surgeon, Dr. Salerno is intimately invested in the well-being his patients beyond the operating room. The unrelenting magnetic force that seized him, at the core of his soul, was not only the robust desire to work “at the forefront” of medicine and do groundbreaking things that others don’t do, but also the chance to work deeply within the South Side’s marginalized community and make a change.

Once a leery patient of his but now his lifelong friend, Mary Hilton partnered with Chris on a jarring ride that would change her life forever. She was suddenly whisked away from normalcy and placed (unbuckled) in the seat of a nightmarish roller coaster, with a violent drop she had no time to prepare for. Her grisly heart diagnosis weakened her physically and emotionally, however she was eager to take control of the violent tailspin.

Dr. Salerno’s reputation and the high regard in which he was held by his peers assured Hilton that her heart was in the right hands. However, it was his openness, ability to relate, unyielding support, profound sense of humanity and deep interest in her desired quality of life that garnered her trust and reminded her that she is the master of her fate and the captain of her soul. Dr. Salerno reminded Mary that she could win.

This is Christopher Salerno, Behind the Mask.

Cardiac Surgery

The Section of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine draws upon a tradition of innovative clinical practice and scientific research to provide the highest level of care to our patients. Our program has the best transplant survival rates and shortest wait times in the history of heart transplantation. We are world leaders in triple-organ transplantation, performing 13 of the 26 triple-organ transplants in the US to date, with the best survival rates. Our program is at the forefront of heart care, pushing the boundaries of experience and innovation to perform the most complex bloodless heart surgeries. We are leaders in robotic heart surgery and have the only program in the world that performs multi-vessel robotic coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The Section of Cardiac Surgery also thrives in research. Ours is the fifth-best National Institutes of Health–funded cardiac section in the country and the second by dollars per faculty.

Valluvan Jeevanandam, MD
Professor of Surgery
Chief, Section of Cardiac Surgery
Learn More & Contact

faculty listing

Professor of Surgery
Husam H. Balkhy, MD, Professor of Surgery; Director, Robotic and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
Mahesh P. Gupta, PhD, Professor of Surgery
Valluvan Jeevanandam, MD, Cynthia Chow Professor of Surgery; Chief, Section of Cardiac Surgery; Director, Heart and Vascular Center
Takeyoshi Ota, MD, PhD, Professor of Surgery; Co-Director, Center for Aortic Diseases
Christopher Salerno, MD, Professor of Surgery; Director, Adult Cardiac Surgery; Surgical Director, Heart Transplantation and MCS
Luca Vricella, MD, Professor of Surgery; Chief, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

Associate Professor of Surgery
Narutoshi Hibino, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Tae H. Song, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery; Surgical Director, Lung Transplantation; Director, MCS/ECMO Program

Clinical Associate of Surgery
Chawki El-Zein, MD, Clinical Associate of Surgery
Hiroto Kitahara, MD, Clinical Associate of Surgery
David Onsager, MD, Clinical Associate of Surgery

faculty honors

Husam H. Balkhy, MD, FACS, FACC, was named Vice President of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery at its annual meeting.

Narutoshi Hibino, MD, PhD, and his Lab team were selected as finalists for NASA’s Vascular Tissue Challenge.

faculty promotions

No cardiac promotions this year

select publications

Husam H. Balkhy, MD

Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery with or without robotics: Examining the evidence. Kitahara H, Balkhy HH. J Card Surg. 2022 Aug 21. doi: 10.1111/jocs.16854. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35989500.

Robotic Total Endoscopic Coronary Bypass in 570 Patients: Impact of Anastomotic Technique in Two Eras. Balkhy HH, Nisivaco SM, Hashimoto M, Torregrossa G, Grady K. Ann Thorac Surg. 2022 Aug;114(2):476-482. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2021.10.049. Epub 2021 Dec 7. PMID: 34890572 Review.

Sparing not only the sternum but also the pain: why port only is best. Nisivaco SM, Balkhy HH. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2022 Jul 11;62(2):ezac382. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezac382. PMID: 35799363 No abstract available.

Myocardial Bridge: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Challenges. Freiling TP, Dhawan R, Balkhy HH, Castillo J, Cotter EK, Chaney MA. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2022 Jun 23:S1053-0770(22)00466-9. doi: 10.1053/j.jvca.2022.06.024. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35871884 No abstract available.

Public reporting for coronary artery bypass graft surgery: The quest for the optimal scorecard. Ghandour H, Weiss AJ, Gaudino M, Halkos M, Chu D, Taylor BS, Puskas J, Bhatt D, Zenati M, Stulak J, Rosengart T, Balkhy HH, Blackstone EH, Svensson LG, Bakaeen FG; CABG Public Reporting Working Group, Erten O, Karamlou T, Soltesz EG, Gillinov AM, Warmuth A, Roselli EE, Smedira NG. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Mar 16:S0022-5223(22)00322-1. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2022.01.051. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35525802.

Transit Time Flow Measurement in Robotic Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass: What Do the Numbers Mean? Yang B, Nisivaco S, Torregrossa G, Balkhy HH. Innovations (Phila). 2022 Mar-Apr;17(2):136-141. doi: 10.1177/15569845221091515. PMID: 35499921.

Robotic off-pump totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass in the current era: report of 544 patients. Balkhy HH, Nisivaco S, Kitahara H, Torregrossa G, Patel B, Grady K, Coleman C. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2022 Jan 24;61(2):439-446. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezab378. PMID: 34392341.

Genomic Characterization of Carbapenem-Non-susceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clinical Isolates From Saudi Arabia Revealed a Global Dissemination of GES-5-Producing ST235 and VIM-2-Producing ST233 Sub-Lineages. Doumith M, Alhassinah S, Alswaji A, Alzayer M, Alrashidi E, Okdah L, Aljohani S; NGHA AMR Surveillance Group, Balkhy HH, Alghoribi MF. Front Microbiol. 2022 Jan 6;12:765113. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.765113. eCollection 2021. PMID: 35069471 Free PMC article.

Robotic Off-Pump Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass in Patients With Low Ejection Fraction. Peev MP, Nisivaco S, Torregrossa G, Arastu A, Shahul S, Balkhy HH. Innovations (Phila). 2022 Jan-Feb;17(1):50-55. doi: 10.1177/15569845211073929. PMID: 35225062.

Safety and immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 MERS vaccine candidate in healthy Middle Eastern adults (MERS002): an open-label, non-randomised, dose-escalation, phase 1b trial. Bosaeed M, Balkhy HH, Almaziad S, Aljami HA, Alhatmi H, Alanazi H, Alahmadi M, Jawhary A, Alenazi MW, Almasoud A, Alanazi R, Bittaye M, Aboagye J, Albaalharith N, Batawi S, Folegatti P, Ramos Lopez F, Ewer K, Almoaikel K, Aljeraisy M, Alothman A, Gilbert SC, Khalaf Alharbi N. Lancet Microbe. 2022 Jan;3(1):e11-e20. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(21)00193-2. Epub 2021 Nov 3. PMID: 34751259 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.

Robotic totally endoscopic triple bypass with bilateral internal mammary arteries and two different anastomotic techniques. Brownlee AR, Amabile A, Torregrossa G, Balkhy HH. J Card Surg. 2022 Jan;37(1):249-251. doi: 10.1111/jocs.16112. Epub 2021 Nov 7. PMID: 34747050.

Unilateral Pulmonary Edema After Robotically Assisted Mitral Valve Repair Requiring Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. Viox D, Dhawan R, Balkhy HH, Cormican D, Bhatt H, Savadjian A, Chaney MA. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2022 Jan;36(1):321-331. doi: 10.1053/j.jvca.2021.03.051. Epub 2021 Apr 5. PMID: 33975792.

Robotic totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting: It’s now or never! Balkhy HH. JTCVS Tech. 2021 Apr 10;10:153-157. doi: 10.1016/j.xjtc.2021.03.037. eCollection 2021 Dec. PMID: 34977718 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Contemporary robotic cardiac surgical training. Badhwar V, Wei LM, Geirsson A, Dearani JA, Grossi EA, Guy TS, Balkhy HH, Gillnov AM, Sutter FP, Melnitchouk S, Bonatti J, Murphy DA, Chitwood WR Jr. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Nov 10:S0022-5223(21)01541-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.11.005. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34862051 No abstract available.

Intrathecal Morphine for Analgesia in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blinded Clinical Trial. Dhawan R, Daubenspeck D, Wroblewski KE, Harrison JH, McCrorey M, Balkhy HH, Chaney MA. Anesthesiology. 2021 Nov 1;135(5):864-876. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000003963. PMID: 34520520 Clinical Trial.

The epicenter of change: Robotic cardiac surgery as a career choice. Torregrossa G, Amabile A, Oosterlinck W, Van den Eynde J, Mori M, Geirsson A, Balkhy HH. J Card Surg. 2021 Oct;36(10):3497-3500. doi: 10.1111/jocs.15865. Epub 2021 Aug 5. PMID: 34351025 No abstract available.

Antimicrobial resistance trends of non-fermenter Gram negative bacteria in Saudi Arabia: A six-year national study. Somily A, Balkhy HH, Enani MAS, Althawadi SI, Alawi M, Al Johani SM, Al Jindan R, AlBarrak A, AlAjlan H, AlAgeel AA, Roushdy HM, Dada HM, Al-Abdely HM. J Infect Public Health. 2021 Sep;14(9):1144-1150. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.07.007. Epub 2021 Jul 15. PMID: 34358816.

Cardiac surgeons’ concerns, perceptions, and responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Luc JGY, Ad N, Nguyen TC; COVID-19 North American Cardiac Surgery Survey Working Group Collaborators, Arora RC, Balkhy HH, Bender EM, Bethencourt DM, Bisleri G, Boyd D, Chu MWA, de la Cruz KI, DeAnda A, Engelman DT, Farkas EA, Fedoruk LM, Fiocco M, Forcillo J, Fradet G, Fremes SE, Gammie JS, Geirsson A, Gerdisch MW, Girard LN, Kaiser CA, Kaneko T, Kent WDT, Khabbaz KR, Khoynezhad A, Kiaii B, Lee R, Legare JF, Lehr EJ, MacArthur RGG, McCarthy PM, Mehall JR, Merrill WH, Moon MR, Ouzounian M, Peltz M, Perrault LP, Preventza O, Ramchandani M, Ramlawi B, Salenger R, Sekela ME, Sellke FW, Stulak JM, Sutter FP, Timek TA, Whitman G, Williams JB, Wong DR, Yanagawa B, Ye J, Zeigler SM. J Card Surg. 2021 Sep;36(9):3040-3051. doi: 10.1111/jocs.15681. Epub 2021 Jun 12. PMID: 34118080 Free PMC article.

Cardiac surgery in North America and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Regional variability in burden and impact. Ad N, Luc JGY, Nguyen TC; COVID-19 North American Cardiac Surgery Survey Working Group. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Sep;162(3):893-903.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2020.06.077. Epub 2020 Jul 2. PMID: 32768300 Free PMC article.

Mahesh P. Gupta, PhD

Pomegranate Peel Extract Decreases Plaque Necrosis and Advanced Atherosclerosis Progression in Apoe ^-/- Mice. Manickam V, Dhawan UK, Singh D, Gupta M, Subramanian M. Front Pharmacol. 2022 Jun 1;13:888300. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.888300. eCollection 2022. PMID: 35721222 Free PMC article.

A comparative metabolomic investigation in fruit sections of Citrus medica L. and Citrus maxima L. detecting potential bioactive metabolites using UHPLC-QTOF-IMS. Dadwal V, Joshi R, Gupta M. Food Res Int. 2022 Jul;157:111486. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111486. Epub 2022 Jun 7. PMID: 35761710.

Narutoshi Hibino, MD, PhD

Noncanonical Notch signals have opposing roles during cardiac development. Miyamoto M, Andersen P, Sulistio E, Liu X, Murphy S, Kannan S, Nam L, Miyamoto W, Tampakakis E, Hibino N, Uosaki H, Kwon C. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2021 Nov 5;577:12-16. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.08.094. Epub 2021 Sep 2. PMID: 34487959.

Cell-Laden Gradient Hydrogel Scaffolds for Neovascularization of Engineered Tissues. He YJ, Santana MF, Staneviciute A, Pimentel MB, Yang F, Goes J, Kawaji K, Vaicik MK, Abdulhadi R, Hibino N, Papavasiliou G. Adv Healthc Mater. 2021 Apr;10(7):e2001706. doi: 10.1002/adhm.202001706. Epub 2021 Jan 29. PMID: 33511790 Free PMC article.

Aortic root aneurysm repair in a neonate with Loeys-Dietz syndrome. Li W, Cohen W, Combs P, Wong J, Loomba R, Lee BK, El-Zein C, Ilbawi M, Vricella L, Hibino N. Cardiol Young. 2021 May;31(5):848-850. doi: 10.1017/S1047951120004886. Epub 2021 Jan 25. PMID: 33487195.

Outcomes From Three Decades of Infant and Pediatric Heart Transplantation. Cohen W, Combs P, El-Zein C, Ilbawi M, Kim G, Jeevanandam V, Vricella L, Hibino N. ASAIO J. 2021 Sep 1;67(9):1051-1059. doi: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000001312. PMID: 33181541.

Mechanical stimulation enhances development of scaffold-free, 3D-printed, engineered heart tissue grafts. Lui C, Chin AF, Park S, Yeung E, Kwon C, Tomaselli G, Chen Y, Hibino N. J Tissue Eng Regen Med. 2021 May;15(5):503-512. doi: 10.1002/term.3188. Epub 2021 Apr 2. PMID: 33749089 Free PMC article.

Pediatric aortic valve repair: Any development in the material for cusp extension valvuloplasty? Hu K, Siddiqi U, Lee B, Pena E, Schulz K, Vogel M, Combs P, El-Zein C, Ilbawi M, Vricella L, Hibino N. J Card Surg. 2021 Nov;36(11):4054-4060. doi: 10.1111/jocs.15931. Epub 2021 Aug 22. PMID: 34423475.

Technical Modifications That Might Improve Long-term Outcomes of the Ross Procedure in Children. Vricella LA, El-Zein C, Hibino N, Rausa J, Roberson D, Ilbawi MN. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021 Dec;112(6):1997-2004. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2021.03.047. Epub 2021 Mar 29. PMID: 33794157.

Pulmonary hypertension and mitral regurgitation in an infant with an anatomically normal mitral valve. Hoang R, Cohen W, Mukadam S, Combs P, Husayni T, El-Zein C, Vricella L, Hibino N. Cardiol Young. 2021 Mar;31(3):476-478. doi: 10.1017/S1047951120004059. Epub 2020 Dec 4. PMID: 33272339.

Diaphragm Paralysis After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery: An STS Congenital Heart Surgery Database Study. Fraser CD 3rd, Ravekes W, Thibault D, Scully B, Chiswell K, Giuliano K, Hill KD, Jacobs JP, Jacobs ML, Kutty S, Vricella L, Hibino N. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021 Jul;112(1):139-146. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.05.175. Epub 2020 Aug 5. PMID: 32763270.

Fast-Degrading Tissue-Engineered Vascular Grafts Lead to Increased Extracellular Matrix Cross-Linking Enzyme Expression. Fukunishi T, Ong CS, He YJ, Inoue T, Zhang H, Steppan J, Matsushita H, Johnson J, Santhanam L, Hibino N. Tissue Eng Part A. 2021 Nov;27(21-22):1368-1375. doi: 10.1089/ten.TEA.2020.0266. Epub 2021 Aug 18. PMID: 33599167.

Aorta size mismatch predicts decreased exercise capacity in patients with successfully repaired coarctation of the aorta. Mandell JG, Loke YH, Mass PN, Opfermann J, Cleveland V, Aslan S, Hibino N, Krieger A, Olivieri LJ. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Jul;162(1):183-192.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2020.09.103. Epub 2020 Oct 7. PMID: 33131888.

Congenitally Abnormal Aortic Valve Causing Coronary Obstruction and Cardiac Arrest in Infancy. Abdulkarim M, Weld J, Cohen W, Combs P, Patel D, El-Zein C, Ilbawi M, Vricella L, Hibino N. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021 May;111(5):e339-e341. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.07.070. Epub 2020 Oct 15. PMID: 33069680.

Altered hemodynamics by 4D flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance predict exercise intolerance in repaired coarctation of the aorta: an in vitro study. Mandell JG, Loke YH, Mass PN, Cleveland V, Delaney M, Opfermann J, Aslan S, Krieger A, Hibino N, Olivieri LJ. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2021 Sep 6;23(1):99. doi: 10.1186/s12968-021-00796-3. PMID: 34482836 Free PMC article.

Computational Fontan Analysis: Preserving Accuracy While Expediting Workflow. Liu X, Aslan S, Kim B, Warburton L, Jackson D, Muhuri A, Subramanian A, Mass P, Cleveland V, Loke YH, Hibino N, Olivieri L, Krieger A. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg. 2022 May;13(3):293-301. doi: 10.1177/21501351211073619. PMID: 35446218.

Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery From the Right Pulmonary Artery of an Infant. Hoang R, Ikeda N, Combs P, Elzein C, Siddiqi U, Li Z, Hu K, Ilbawi M, Vricella L, Hibino N. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg. 2022 Jul;13(4):532-535. doi: 10.1177/21501351221100141. Epub 2022 May 16. PMID: 35570735.

Stem Cells and Congenital Heart Disease: The Future Potential Clinical Therapy Beyond Current Treatment. Julian K, Garg N, Hibino N, Jain R. Curr Cardiol Rev. 2022 May 31. doi: 10.2174/1573403X18666220531093326. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35642109.

Extruded poly (glycerol sebacate) and polyglycolic acid vascular graft forms a neoartery. Fukunishi T, Lui C, Ong CS, Dunn T, Xu S, Smoot C, Smalley R, Harris J, Gabriele P, Santhanam L, Lu S, Hibino N. J Tissue Eng Regen Med. 2022 Apr;16(4):346-354. doi: 10.1002/term.3282. Epub 2022 Jan 27. PMID: 35084808.

Semi-Automatic Planning and Three-Dimensional Electrospinning of Patient-Specific Grafts for Fontan Surgery. Liu X, Kim B, Loke YH, Mass P, Olivieri L, Hibino N, Fuge M, Krieger A. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2022 Jan;69(1):186-198. doi: 10.1109/TBME.2021.3091113. Epub 2021 Dec 23. PMID: 34156934.

Surgical Planning and Optimization of Patient-Specific Fontan Grafts with Uncertain Post-Operative Boundary Conditions and Anastomosis Displacement. Liu X, Hibino N, Loke YH, Kim B, Mass P, Fuge M, Olivieri L, Krieger A. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2022 Apr 27;PP. doi: 10.1109/TBME.2022.3170922. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35476577.

Off-the-shelf, heparinized small diameter vascular graft limits acute thrombogenicity in a porcine model. Elliott MB, Matsushita H, Shen J, Yi J, Inoue T, Brady T, Santhanam L, Mao HQ, Hibino N, Gerecht S. Acta Biomater. 2022 Aug 4:S1742-7061(22)00463-9. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.07.061. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35933100.

Novel reinforcement of corrugated nanofiber tissue-engineered vascular graft to prevent aneurysm formation for arteriovenous shunts in an ovine model. Matsushita H, Hayashi H, Nurminsky K, Dunn T, He Y, Pitaktong I, Koda Y, Xu S, Nguyen V, Inoue T, Rodgers D, Nelson K, Johnson J, Hibino N. JVS Vasc Sci. 2022 Feb 22;3:182-191. doi: 10.1016/j.jvssci.2022.01.002. eCollection 2022. PMID: 35495567 Free PMC article.

Use of a Free Medial Femoral Condyle Periosteal Flap in Digital Reconstruction – A Report of Two Patients. Hibino N, Yamano M, Hamada Y, Takahashi Y. J Hand Surg Asian Pac Vol. 2022 Jun;27(3):594-597. doi: 10.1142/S2424835522720201. PMID: 35808875.

Virtual Reality Cardiac Surgical Planning Software (CorFix) for Designing Patient-Specific Vascular Grafts: Development and Pilot Usability Study. Kim B, Nguyen P, Loke YH, Cleveland V, Liu X, Mass P, Hibino N, Olivieri L, Krieger A. JMIR Cardio. 2022 Jun 17;6(1):e35488. doi: 10.2196/35488. PMID: 35713940 Free PMC article.

Valluvan Jeevanandam, MD

Commentary: You want to do WHAT with my patient?!? Daubenspeck DK, Balkhy HH, Jeevanandam V, Chaney MA. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Aug 21:S0022-5223(21)01243-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.08.045. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34563369 No abstract available.

Technique of percutaneous supraclavicular subclavian intra-aortic balloon pump placement. Song TH, Jeevanandam V. JTCVS Tech. 2021 May 11;8:20-22. doi: 10.1016/j.xjtc.2021.03.039. eCollection 2021 Aug. PMID: 34401797 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Rare Variant of Shone Complex. Kohli U, Jeevanandam V, Patel AR. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2021 Jun;14(6):e012317. doi: 10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.120.012317. Epub 2021 May 26. PMID: 34034510 No abstract available.

Improving the metrics for donor heart sizing. Jeevanandam V. J Card Surg. 2021 Sep;36(9):3250. doi: 10.1111/jocs.15752. Epub 2021 Jun 18. PMID: 34145640.

Hyperkalemia in Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices. Imamura T, Narang N, Combs P, Siddiqi U, Stonebraker C, Jeevanandam V. Circ Rep. 2021 Sep 29;3(11):647-653. doi: 10.1253/circrep.CR-21-0078. eCollection 2021 Nov 10. PMID: 34805604 Free PMC article.

Does outflow graft placement during LVAD implantation affect outcomes? Jeevanandam V. J Card Surg. 2021 Nov;36(11):4102. doi: 10.1111/jocs.15871. Epub 2021 Jul 28. PMID: 34322909 No abstract available.

Commentary: Redo heart transplantation: Lessons learned over the past 20 years. Jeevanandam V. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Oct 6:S0022-5223(21)01409-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.09.054. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34657716 No abstract available.

Winter LVAD implantation is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Imamura T, Combs P, Siddiqi U, Cohen W, Besser S, LaBuhn C, Mirzai S, Jeevanandam V. Int J Artif Organs. 2021 Mar;44(3):188-193. doi: 10.1177/0391398820951810. Epub 2020 Sep 10. PMID: 32907458.

Short-Term Ventricular Structural Changes Following Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation. Sayer G, Medvedofsky D, Imamura T, Kim G, Maffessanti F, Fried J, Kruse E, Addetia K, Mor-Avi V, Jeevanandam V, Lang RM, Uriel N. ASAIO J. 2021 Feb 1;67(2):169-176. doi: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000001214. PMID: 32657830.

Impact of Aspirin Dosing on Thrombotic Outcomes in Patients with the HVAD. Simone PB, Bullard H, Siddiqi U, Cohen W, Combs PS, Jeevanandam V. ASAIO J. 2021 Sep 1;67(9):e153-e156. doi: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000001421. PMID: 33741782 No abstract available.

Discordance between lactic acidemia and hemodynamics in patients with advanced heart failure. Narang N, Dela Cruz M, Imamura T, Chung B, Nguyen AB, Holzhauser L, Smith BA, Kalantari S, Raikhelkar J, Sarswat N, Kim GH, Jeevanandam V, Burkhoff D, Sayer G, Uriel N. Clin Cardiol. 2021 May;44(5):636-645. doi: 10.1002/clc.23584. Epub 2021 Mar 18. PMID: 33734459 Free PMC article.

Impact of worsening of aortic insufficiency during HeartMate 3 LVAD support. Imamura T, Narang N, Kim G, Nitta D, Fujino T, Nguyen A, Grinstein J, Rodgers D, Ota T, Raikhelkar J, Jeevanandam V, Sayer G, Uriel N. Artif Organs. 2021 Mar;45(3):297-302. doi: 10.1111/aor.13825. Epub 2020 Oct 23. PMID: 33098153.

Outcomes of Ambulatory Axillary Intraaortic Balloon Pump as a Bridge to Heart Transplantation. Nishida H, Koda Y, Kalantari S, Nguyen A, Chung B, Grinstein J, Kim G, Sarswat N, Smith B, Song T, Onsager D, Jeevanandam V, Ota T. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021 Apr;111(4):1264-1270. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.06.077. Epub 2020 Sep 1. PMID: 32882197.

Impact of plasma volume status on mortality following left ventricular assist device implantation. Imamura T, Narang N, Combs P, Siddiqi U, Mirzai S, Stonebraker C, Bullard H, Simone P, Jeevanandam V. Artif Organs. 2021 Jun;45(6):587-592. doi: 10.1111/aor.13878. Epub 2020 Dec 26. PMID: 33236371.

An international survey: Tobacco smoking cessation strategies within left ventricular assist device centers. Combs P, Cohen W, Siddiqi UA, Jeevanandam V. Int J Artif Organs. 2021 Feb;44(2):110-114. doi: 10.1177/0391398820944931. Epub 2020 Aug 11. PMID: 32779494.

A proposed redosing interval of del Nido cardioplegia solution in adult cardiac surgery: a propensity-matched study. Koda Y, Kitahara H, Nishida H, Jeevanandam V, Ota T. Perfusion. 2021 Jul;36(5):463-469. doi: 10.1177/0267659120956534. Epub 2020 Sep 10. PMID: 32909513.

Simultaneous Heart-Liver Transplantation for Congenital Heart Disease in the United States: Rapidly Increasing With Acceptable Outcomes. Cotter TG, Wang J, Peeraphatdit T, Sandıkçı B, Ayoub F, Kim G, Te H, Jeevanandam V, Sabato D, Charlton M. Hepatology. 2021 Apr;73(4):1464-1477. doi: 10.1002/hep.31426. PMID: 32559317.

Orthotopic heart transplantation with persistent left superior vena cava draining into coronary sinus: the anterior rerouting technique. Koda Y, Nishida H, Jeevanandam V, Ota T. Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2021 Apr;69(4):673-678. doi: 10.1007/s11748-020-01505-0. Epub 2020 Oct 10. PMID: 33040256.

Understanding the fundamentals of microbial remediation with emphasize on metabolomics. Jeevanandam V, Osborne J. Prep Biochem Biotechnol. 2022;52(3):351-363. doi: 10.1080/10826068.2021.1946694. Epub 2021 Aug 1. PMID: 34338137 Review.

Alternate Approach to Concomitant Carotid and Coronary Disease: Perioperative IABP Use during Carotid Endarterectomy. Campbell PA, Dorsey C, Jeevanandam V, Milner R. Ann Vasc Surg. 2021 Apr;72:663.e9-663.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.avsg.2020.10.025. Epub 2020 Dec 4. PMID: 33285271.

A model for continued LVAD patient success: A 4-year readmission-free HeartMate 3 postoperative course. Stonebraker C, Lee A, Siddiqi U, Lupo S, Brownlee AR, Yang B, Combs P, Jeevanandam V. J Card Surg. 2021 Mar;36(3):1159-1161. doi: 10.1111/jocs.15393. Epub 2021 Feb 2. PMID: 33533108.

Anemia and outcomes following left ventricular assist device implantation. Imamura T, Narang N, Besser S, Rodgers D, Combs P, Siddiqi U, Stonebraker C, Jeevanandam V. Artif Organs. 2022 Aug;46(8):1626-1635. doi: 10.1111/aor.14224. Epub 2022 Mar 4. PMID: 35230709 Review.

Combined heart-liver-kidney transplant: The university of Chicago medicine experience. Perez-Gutierrez A, Siddiqi U, Kim G, Rangrass G, Kacha A, Jeevanandam V, Becker Y, Potter L, Fung J, Baker TB. Clin Transplant. 2022 Apr;36(4):e14586. doi: 10.1111/ctr.14586. Epub 2022 Feb 4. PMID: 35041226.

Anatomic Description of Tricuspid Apparatus Interference From Implantable Intracardiac Devices. Henry M, Abutaleb A, Jeevanandam V, Smith H, Belkin M, Husain A, Pinney S, Ota T, Lang RM, Addetia K. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2022 Feb;15(2):361-365. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2020.12.016. Epub 2021 Feb 10. PMID: 33582061 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Significant vascular complications in percutaneous axillary intra-aortic balloon pump. Nishida H, Song T, Onsager D, Nguyen A, Grinstein J, Chung B, Smith B, Kalantari S, Sarswat N, Kim G, Pinney S, Jeevanandam V, Milner R, Ota T. Ann Vasc Surg. 2022 Jul;83:42-52. doi: 10.1016/j.avsg.2021.12.078. Epub 2022 Jan 5. PMID: 34995740.

Implications of Heart Rate in Patients with Left Ventricular Assist Devices. Imamura T, Kinugawa K, Narang N, Nishida H, Pinney S, Jeevanandam V, Ota T. Int Heart J. 2022;63(1):56-61. doi: 10.1536/ihj.21-468. PMID: 35095077.

Surgical Correction of Spontaneous Outflow Graft Twisting of HeartMate 3 LVAD via a Subcostal Approach. Nishida H, Jeevanandam V, Nathan S, Ota T. Heart Surg Forum. 2022 Feb 28;25(1):E152-E154. doi: 10.1532/hsf.4405. PMID: 35238299.

Comparing short-term/long-term outcomes of heart transplants that occur inside and outside of normal working hours. Nishida H, Salerno C, Onsager D, Song T, Nguyen A, Grinstein J, Chung B, Smith B, Kalantari S, Sarswat N, Kim G, Pinney S, Jeevanandam V, Ota T. ESC Heart Fail. 2022 Aug;9(4):2484-2490. doi: 10.1002/ehf2.13947. Epub 2022 Apr 23. PMID: 35460200 Free PMC article. Review.

STS INTERMACS Database: The Key to Conduct Single-Arm Trials in Advanced Heart Failure Patients. Symalla T, Peev MP, Song T, Naftel D, Myers S, Koehl D, Cantor RS, Pinney S, Jeevanandam V. Ann Thorac Surg. 2022 Mar;113(3):808-815. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2021.04.045. Epub 2021 Apr 27. PMID: 33930360.

Ten-year, single center experience of ambulatory axillary intra-aortic balloon pump support for heart failure. Nishida H, Ota T, Onsager D, Grinstein J, Jeevanandam V, Song T. J Cardiol. 2022 May;79(5):611-617. doi: 10.1016/j.jjcc.2021.11.010. Epub 2021 Dec 9. PMID: 34895789.

Proximal ascending aorta size is associated with the incidence of de novo aortic insufficiency with left ventricular assist device. Nishida H, Song T, Onsager D, Nguyen A, Grinstein J, Chung B, Smith B, Kalantari S, Sarswat N, Kim G, Pinney S, Jeevanandam V, Ota T. Heart Vessels. 2022 Apr;37(4):647-653. doi: 10.1007/s00380-021-01946-4. Epub 2021 Sep 28. PMID: 34585275.

Clinical outcomes of grafted vs. percutaneous axillary intra-aortic balloon pump support as a bridge to transplantation: a propensity score-matched analysis. Nishida H, Kalantari S, Nguyen A, Chung B, Grinstein J, Kim G, Sarswat N, Smith B, Pinney S, Onsager D, Song T, Salerno C, Jeevanandam V, Ota T. Heart Vessels. 2022 Jul 7. doi: 10.1007/s00380-022-02122-y. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35794489.

Hiroto Kitahara, MD

Multi-spectrum robotic cardiac surgery: Early outcomes. Balkhy HH, Nisivaco S, Torregrossa G, Kitahara H, Patel B, Grady K, Coleman C. JTCVS Tech. 2022 Feb 19;13:74-82. doi: 10.1016/j.xjtc.2021.12.018. eCollection 2022 Jun. PMID: 35711214 Free PMC article. Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery with or without robotics: Examining the evidence. Kitahara H, Balkhy HH. J Card Surg. 2022 Oct;37(10):3276-3278. doi: 10.1111/jocs.16854. Epub 2022 Aug 21. PMID: 35989500.

The Interplay of Inflammation and Coagulation in COVID-19 Patients Receiving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support. Zaaqoq A, Sallam T, Merley C, Galloway LA, Desale S, Varghese J, Alnababteh M, Kriner E, Kitahara H, Shupp J, Dalton H, Molina E. Perfusion. 2022 Jan 9:2676591211057506. doi: 10.1177/02676591211057506. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35000466.

David Onsager, MD

Direct subxiphoid pericardioscopic visualization of epicardial ventricular tachycardia mapping and ablation. Chen AY, Narichania A, Onsager D, Nayak HM, Tung R. Heart Rhythm O2. 2022 Jan 11;3(1):105-108. doi: 10.1016/j.hroo.2022.01.001. eCollection 2022 Feb. PMID: 35243442 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Takeyoshi Ota, MD, PhD

A mixed method approach to understanding the impact of COVID-19 on patients with or at risk for aortic dissection. Lee JR, Segal C, Howitt J, Lawrence SO, Grima J, Eagle K, Woo K, Byers P, Klein-Rogers E, Milewicz D, Mussa F, Soderlund T, Cotter N, Case M, Trotter D, Shalhub S; Aortic Dissection Collaborative. Semin Vasc Surg. 2022 Mar;35(1):100-109. doi: 10.1053/j.semvascsurg.2022.02.006. Epub 2022 Feb 23. PMID: 35501037 Free PMC article.

Conventional sternotomy versus right mini-thoracotomy versus robotic approach for mitral valve replacement/repair: insights from a network meta-analysis. Yokoyama Y, Kuno T, Takagi H, Briasoulis A, Ota T. J Cardiovasc Surg (Torino). 2022 Aug;63(4):492-497. doi: 10.23736/S0021-9509.21.11902-0. Epub 2021 Oct 19. PMID: 34664809.

The Aortic Dissection Collaborative: Methods for building capacity for patient-centered outcomes research in the aortic dissection community. Lee JR, Lawrence SO, Soto M, Case M, Cotter N, Howitt J, Soderlund T, Trotter D, Byers PH, Shalhub S; Aortic Dissection Collaborative. Semin Vasc Surg. 2022 Mar;35(1):9-15. doi: 10.1053/j.semvascsurg.2022.02.004. Epub 2022 Feb 23. PMID: 35501047.

Commentary: Simple policy: Appropriate strategy and reliable surgical skill and technique. Watanabe T, Ota T. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Jul 9:S0022-5223(22)00728-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2022.04.054. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35948481 No abstract available.

Christopher Salerno, MD

A Novel Approach to a Complex Problem. Nishida H, Salerno CT. Ann Thorac Surg. 2022 Apr 16:S0003-4975(22)00532-X. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2022.03.080. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35439443 No abstract available.

HVAD to HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device Exchange: Best Practices Recommendations. Salerno CT, Hayward C, Hall S, Goldstein D, Saeed D, Schmitto J, Kaczorowski D, Molina E, Zimpfer D, Tsui S, Soltesz E, Pham DT, Mokadam NA, Kilic A, Davis E, Feller E, Lorts A, Silvestry S, Slaughter MS, Potapov E, Atluri P, Cowger J, Pagani FD; HeartWare HVAD System to HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System Device Exchange Advisory Group. Ann Thorac Surg. 2022 Jun;113(6):1770-1777. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2021.11.078. Epub 2022 Mar 24. PMID: 35341592 Review.

HVAD to HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device exchange: Best practices recommendations. Salerno CT, Hayward C, Hall S, Goldstein D, Saeed D, Schmitto J, Kaczorowski D, Molina E, Zimpfer D, Tsui S, Soltesz E, Pham DT, Mokadam NA, Kilic A, Davis E, Feller E, Lorts A, Silvestry S, Slaughter MS, Potapov E, Atluri P, Cowger J, Pagani FD; HeartWare HVAD System to HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System Device Exchange Advisory Group. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2022 Jun 15;62(1):ezac169. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezac169. PMID: 35325091.

HVAD to HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device exchange: Best practices recommendations. Salerno CT, Hayward C, Hall S, Goldstein D, Saeed D, Schmitto J, Kaczorowski D, Molina E, Zimpfer D, Tsui S, Soltesz E, Pham DT, Mokadam NA, Kilic A, Davis E, Feller E, Lorts A, Silvestry S, Slaughter MS, Potapov E, Atluri P, Cowger J, Pagani FD; HeartWare HVAD System to HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System Device Exchange Advisory Group. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Jun;163(6):2120-2127.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.11.085. Epub 2022 Mar 24. PMID: 35341579 Review.

Characteristics and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: A retrospective multicenter study. Saeed O, Tatooles AJ, Farooq M, Schwartz G, Pham DT, Mustafa AK, D’Alessandro D, Abrol S, Jorde UP, Gregoric ID, Radovancevic R, Lima B, Bryner BS, Ravichandran A, Salerno CT, Spencer P, Friedmann P, Silvestry S, Goldstein DJ; COVID-19 ECMO Working Group. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Jun;163(6):2107-2116.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.04.089. Epub 2021 May 18. PMID: 34112505 Free PMC article.

Outcomes in Smaller Body Size Adults After HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation. Molina EJ, Cowger J, Lee S, Horstmanshof D, Cleveland JC Jr, Goldstein DJ, Mehra MR, Uriel N, Salerno CT, Bourque K, Chuang J, Naka Y. Ann Thorac Surg. 2022 Apr 19:S0003-4975(22)00522-7. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2022.03.071. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35452663.

Tae H. Song, MD

Personalized ECMO: Crafting Individualized Support. Cohen W, Mirzai S, Li Z, Combs P, Hu K, Rose R, Kagan V, Song TH, Cormican DS, Braus N, Chaney MA. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2022 May;36(5):1477-1486. doi: 10.1053/j.jvca.2021.08.022. Epub 2021 Aug 18. PMID: 34526239 No abstract available.

Luca Vricella, MD

Discussion. Vricella LA. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Sep;164(3):739-740. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.12.058. Epub 2022 Apr 18. PMID: 35450695 No abstract available.

Patent Ductus Arteriosus in the Adult. Vricella LA. Ann Thorac Surg. 2022 Apr 20:S0003-4975(22)00541-0. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2022.04.010. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35460620 No abstract available.

residents & fellows

View the Cardiothoracic Residents and Fellows here.