Cardiovascular-T​horacic Surgeons

At Lurie Children’s, patients needing surgery are in the most qualified hands. Led by Joseph M. Forbess, MD, MBA, the Heart Center’s renow​ned cardiovascular-thoracic surgery team provides comprehensive surgical care for all congenital and acquired cardiac defects in collaboration with Carl L. Backer, MD​; Osama M. Eltayeb, MD; and Michael C. Mongé, MD. The surgical team has specific expertise in neonatal repairs, arrhythmia surgery, coronary artery problems, vascular rings, tracheal abnormalities and mitral valve repair. The team leads the nation in arrhythmia surgery, integrating this technique into repair of congenital heart defects in infants and children.

Our cardiovascular-thoracic surgeons are faculty in the Division of Cardiac Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. 

The surgical team collaborates closely with pediatric cardiologists in all our programs. Advanced care for infants, children and teens includes specialization in procedures such as:

• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
• Fontan conversion and arrhythmia surgery for complex single-ventricle patients
• Reoperations for adolescents and adults with congenital heart disease
• Arrhythmia surgery in combination with surgery for a congenital heart defect
• Congenital complete tracheal rings/stenosis  and associated pulmonary artery sling malformation
• Coronary artery anomalies, including anomalies of coronary origin, and acquired diseases such as Kawasaki disease

Select the names of our cardiovascular-thoracic surgery specialists to learn more about their special interest areas and locations. Please note, not all of our specialists are available at every location.