Appointments 312.227.4240
Specialties & Conditions Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery
The Heart Center's renowned cardiovascular-thoracic surgery team provides comprehensive surgical care for all congenital and acquired cardiac defects.
The surgical team has particular expertise in neonatal repairs, coronary artery problems, vascular rings, tracheal abnormalities, mitral valve repair, arterial switch for transposition of the great arteries, tetralogy of Fallot, palliative and reparative operations, and the Fontan and Norwood procedures.
With high volumes and strong outcomes, the team leads the nation in arrhythmia surgery, integrating this technique into the repair of congenital heart defects in infants and children as well as adults.
As the surgical core of the region's largest pediatric heart transplant program, the team collaborates closely with pediatric cardiologists.
Sunjay Kaushal, MD, PhD, recently joined Lurie Children’s as the new Division Head of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery to help expand our Heart Center programs even further. Dr. Kaushal served as an attending Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeon at Children’s Memorial Hospital from 2007-2011, and we are thrilled to welcome him back. Dr. Kaushal brings 13 years of complex surgical, clinical translational expertise and leadership experience to our team. Since 2011, Dr. Kaushal developed an expertise in neonatal cardiac surgery, particularly the Norwood Operation. At the University of Maryland School of Medicine, he grew the clinical program by 5-fold establishing excellent outcomes with complex congenital heart surgeries, including complex neonatal surgeries, adult congenital surgeries, and heart transplantation, by maintaining mortality rates and length of stay lower than the national average.
We are particularly excited to partner with him in his ground-breaking work to prevent myocardial injury after cardiopulmonary bypass and to participate in his ongoing hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) stem cell trials. He is the national principle investigator for a Phase II clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Health to determine the efficacy of using stem cells in these complex congenital heart disease patients involving HLHS. This area of research is something we have hoped to bring to Lurie Children’s to further set us apart as a premier national heart center that not only provides excellent care for children with complex heart disease, but leads the field with regards to scientific innovation and cutting-edge therapies.
Dr. Kaushal joins alongside our current talented team of Cardiovascular-Thoracic surgeons which includes Drs. Michael Monge and Osama Eltayeb.
For any questions about this transition, please speak with your primary cardiologist or reach out to our Administrative Supervisor Silvana Illescas at 312.227.4520 to arrange a time to speak with another member of our team.
Division Head, Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery; Member, Lurie Children's Surgical Foundation
Director, Vascular Rings Program; Attending Physician, Cardiovascular-thoracic Surgery; Member, Lurie Children's Surgical Foundation
Surgical Director, Heart Failure/Heart Transplant Program; Attending Physician, Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery; Member, Lurie Children's Surgical Foundation
Advanced care for infants, children and teens includes specialization in areas including:
Surgeons are supported by a Heart Center team of specially trained pediatric caregivers with experience treating congenital heart disease in children. These specialists include anesthesiologists, intensivists, advanced practice nurses, perfusionists and technologists.
To contact the Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery team, please call 312.227.4240.
For families or providers seeking a second opinion, we offer a Priority Second Opinion Clinic.
To help prepare families for their care with Lurie Children's Heart Center, we have compiled a list of resources that may be of use throughout treatment — whether it's getting ready for an inpatient stay or outpatient visit, or learning more about the support services available to patients and families.
