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Biography
Dr. Vivek Rao is the Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery and Professor of Surgery at the Toronto General Hospital where he is the Surgical Director of the Heart Transplant program.
Dr. Rao completed his medical and surgical training at the University of Toronto prior to completing a fellowship in cardiac transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at New York’s Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital.
In addition to performing a wide variety of cardiac surgical procedures, Dr. Rao is a recognized expert in heart failure surgery.
He currently holds the Munk Chair in Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, Toronto General Hospital.
In 2006, he was named as one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” by Caldwell Partners International.
Dr. Rao’s clinical interest is in the surgical treatment of end-stage heart disease. His research lab is currently investigating novel techniques of myocardial protection for cardiac transplantation and new therapeutic strategies to prevent transplant coronary artery disease.
Dr. Rao contributed to the establishment of Canada’s first HeartMate artificial heart program at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre in the fall of 2001. The VAD program at PMCC is now the largest and most diverse clinical program in the country offering multiple leading edge technologies specifically suited to individual patient needs.
Dr. Rao has won numerous awards during his surgical training and is the author or co-author on over 150 original publications on various topics in cardiac surgery. In 2007, he was awarded the Top 40 Under 40 distinction recognizing his dedication to finding answers to heart failure and making a significant difference to Canadians.
Industry Expertise (6)
Health Care - Facilities
Health and Wellness
Advanced Medical Equipment
Research
Health Care - Services
Health Care - Providers
Areas of Expertise (6)
Aortic Valve Surgery
Mechanical Circulatory Assistance
Cell Transplantation
Myocardial Protection
Heart Transplantation
Heart Failure
Education (4)
University of Toronto: Residency, Cardiac Surgery 2000
University of Toronto: Ph.D., Surgery 1998
University of Toronto: Residency, General Surgery 1994
University of Toronto: MD, Medicine 1992
Affiliations (4)
- Medical Technology Innovation Priority Platform : Site Leader
- University of Toronto : Associate Professor, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery
- Cardiovascular Surgery: Chief
- Peter Munk Cardiac Centre: Munk Professor in Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics
Media Appearances (5)
SUCCESSFUL IMPLANT OF NEXT-GENERATION HEART DEVICE MARKS CANADIAN FIRST
University Health Network online
2014-11-10
A surgical team at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre led by internationally-acclaimed cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Vivek Rao, has successfully implanted a novel mechanical device, the HeartMate IIITM, into a patient with advanced heart failure.
Summer Checkup
CBC National tv
2014-07-16
The CBC National's Summer Checkup medical panel returned to discuss the health challenges that arise when the temperatures go up.
National Check Up
CBC National online
2014-05-20
Dr. Vivek Rao, cardiovascular surgeon at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, was among a panel of three physicians and a representative of a patients’ association who took part in CBC The National's Check Up panel discussing wait times, getting a second opinion and more...
Celebrating Heart Month at UHN with the Next Generation in Cardiac Care
UHN online
2012-06-02
In 2001, Dr. Vivek Rao became the youngest faculty member ever to join the UofT cardiac surgery division. Ten years later, after building Canada's largest Advanced Heart Failure Program, he's become the second youngest chief of cardiac surgery ever appointed at UHN's Division of Cardiac Surgery (just months shy of the founding chief, Dr. William Bigelow)...
Life and death on the transplant list
Hamilton Spectator online
2011-02-24
Cardiomyopathy can be inherited, but in the years after her mother died, Krystina never believed that it might affect her. Never gave it any thought. She started her own family young, had a high-strung personality, but her health always seemed normal. But last spring, she felt extremely tired, for days on end. It went on for a couple of weeks. She could barely make it up the stairs and couldn’t keep food down, either. She went to a walk-in clinic and was diagnosed with a rapid heart rate. She was admitted to Henderson Hospital then transferred to Toronto General Hospital where they discovered the enlarged heart.
Event Appearances (1)
Invited Speaker
Twelfth Annual Toronto Perioperative TEE Symposium Toronto, ON.
2014-11-01
Articles (5)
Canadian Cardiovascular Society consensus conference recommendations on heart failure 2006: Diagnosis and management
Canadian Journal of Cardiology
2006-01-01
Heart failure remains a common diagnosis, especially in older individuals. It continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality, but major advances in both diagnosis and management have occurred and will continue to improve symptoms and other ...
Fundamentals of reperfusion injury for the clinical cardiologist
Circulation
2002-01-01
SB is a 48-year-old man who suffered an acute anterior myocardial infarction and received fibrinolytic therapy. The patient died 12 hours after reperfusion. KR is a 68-year-old diabetic woman who underwent conventional coronary artery bypass graft ...
Prosthesis-patient mismatch affects survival after aortic valve replacement
Circulation
2000-01-01
Surgeons traditionally avoid the use of “small” aortic prostheses because of the potential for residual left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and persistent transvalvular gradients. This study examines the ratio between prosthetic valve size and the body ...
Deep sternal wound infection: risk factors and outcomes
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
1998-01-01
Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) is a serious complication of cardiac operations performed by median sternotomy. We attempted to define the predictors of DSWI and to describe the outcomes of two treatment strategies used at our institution. Methods. ...
Cardiomyocyte Transplantation Improves Heart Function
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
1996-01-01
Scar tissue was produced in the left ventricular free wall of 15 rats (weight, 450 g) by cryoinjury. Seven animals had operation only and survived for 8 weeks (sham group). Four weeks after cryoinjury, cultured fetal rat cardiomyocytes or culture medium was ...
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