Quick Facts
Biography
K R Balakrishnan is an Indian cardiothoracic, senior heart transplant surgeon and currently the Chairman of Cardiac Sciences, and the Director of Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support at MGM Healthcare Chennai. He was the director of cardiac sciences at Fortis Malar Hospital Chennai till October 2019. Balakrishnan performed the first permanent artificial heart transplant in India with HeartMate II LVAD and performed the largest number of heart transplants in India. He has performed over 16000 cardiac surgeries for various types of heart diseases and disorders till date. He has performed several first cardiac surgeries in India that includes the first pediatric heart transplant on a 2 year old Russian kid. He also did the first LVAD and HVAD pump transplant in India in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
He is the member of Indian Medical Association. Fortis hospital has performed 100 free heart surgeries of needy children in India under the supervision of Balakrishnan funded by some clubs and Aishwarya Trust.
Career
K R Balakrishnan earned MBBS degree from JIPMER, Pondicherry in the year 1976. He completed MS in General Surgery from AIIMS, New Delhi in 1980. Balakrishnan also qualified M.Ch. in Cardio Thoracic Surgery from KEM Hospital, Mumbai, in the year 1982.
Balakrishnan was the Professor and Head of Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai from 1994 to 2008.
Balakrishnan has successfully done 200 heart transplant surgeries till 2012.
He has successfully performed by pass surgery of a shop owner from Gujarat "Jaisukhabi Thakur" who had no pulse rate.
Dr Balakrishnan has played a pioneering role in starting the Center for Heart Failure Management in Fortis Malar Hospital, Chennai which is the very first center in the country for Comprehensive Cardiac care. He is associated with academics and has over 30 publications to his name in renowned national and international medical journals.
Awards & recognitions
- FICCI Special Jury Award 2017
- Best Doctor Award by the Tamilnadu Government in 2017
- Double Helical National Health Award in 2017
- Patent for Low Cost Ventricular Assist Device
- Patent for Flexible Polyurethane Membrane
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