R. Ravi Kumar

Dr R Ravi Kumar is an Indian heart surgeon, and a pioneer in robot-assisted heart surgery.

Dr Kumar has done varied robotic heart surgical procedures like: robotic mitral valve repair and replacement, adult ASD closures, aortic valve replacement, double valve replacement and CABG. His areas of special interest are, all types of adult heart surgery, robot-assisted heart surgery, pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for chronic pulmonary thrombo-embolic disease, aortic aneurysm repair, surgery for cardiac failure, heart and lung transplant and ventricular assist device.

Education
R Ravi Kumar graduated from Stanley Medical College and obtained the FRCS from Edinburgh. He worked at the Harefield Hospital, UK, under Sir Magdi Yacoub involving himself with adult cardiac surgery including heart and lung transplant and aortic homografts. Dr Ravi Kumar then underwent surgical residency in Boston, MA, United States. Following this he worked with Dr Albert Starr in Portland, Oregon. He pursued his cardiothoracic residency at the University of Texas, South Western Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, U.S. He continued at the same institution as an advanced fellow in Heart & Lung Transplant and is UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing), certifiable for Heart & Lung Transplant. He is a surgeon with American Board Certification in General Surgery and Cardiac Surgery who is also UNOS certifiable for heart and lung transplantation and ventricular assist devices.

Achievements

 * India's first Robotic Mitral Valve Replacement, 2006. Heart surgeons at CARE Hospital here have replaced the mitral valve in the fist-sized muscular organ of a 23-year-old patient using Da Vinci Surgical System.
 * India's first Robotic Aortic Valve Replacement, 2010. 18-year-old patient with complaints of palpitations, chest discomfort, chest pain on exertion. Patient had aortic valve stenosis (shrunk) and regurgitation (leak) with reduced pumping of the heart. He underwent robotic aortic valve replacement.
 * World's First Robotic Double Valve Replacement, 2011. 23-year-old male who had chest discomfort, shortness of breath and palpitations for 4 years. Had mitral valve stenosis (shrunk) and regurgitation (leaking) and aortic valve stenosis (shrunk). Had robotic double valve replacement.
 * World's first Robotic combined Mitral Valve Replacement and CABG, 2011. 66-year-old man with complaints of chest pain and shortness of breath. Patient had coronary artery disease and severe mitral valve leak. Patient had combined robotic mitral valve replacement and coronary artery bypass surgery.