Lars Georg Svensson
Encyclopedia
Lars Georg Svensson, M.D. is a cardiac surgeon
at Cleveland Clinic
, ranked as America's #1 ranked heart program since 1995. Dr. Svensson is the Director of the Aorta Center, Director of the Marfan Syndrome
and Connective Tissue Disorder Clinic, and is a professor of surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
and Case Western Reserve University
. He is also the Director of Quality Outcomes and Process Improvement for the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and Affiliate Cardiac Surgery Program at Cleveland Clinic.
Throughout his career, Dr. Svensson has contributed to the advances in the field of cardiovascular surgery. He has been instrumental in developing minimally invasive keyhole surgery, with particular expertise in aorta
and aortic valve
surgery. He is currently involved in a number of clinical research
trials, including research to investigate percutaneous
methods for replacing or repairing aortic and mitral valve
s.
Among Dr Svensson contributions include modifying the technically demanding operation of replacing the aortic arch
(the "elephant procedure") to make it safer; extensive research on paralysis
after aortic surgery that has led to reduction of paralysis risk to less than half; illustrated that certain methods of doing arch surgery can reduce the risk of stroke
by 40%; illustrated techniques to reduce the risk of kidney failure after aortic surgery; simplified a method for preserving a patient’s aortic valve and reimplanting it at the time of surgery so that patients (particularly young patients) do not require a valve replacement; developed a minimally invasive approach (the "J incision") for performing keyhole valve and aortic surgery; and has been involved from the beginning on the research of percutaneous aortic valves in transapical animal studies and the development of the randomized trials to prove the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous aortic valves. Dr. Svensson was also the first to do a replacement of the entire aorta during a single operation.
Born in Barberton, South Africa, Dr. Svensson completed his undergraduate studies at Treverton College in Mooi River, South Africa
and earned his medical degree and Ph.D. from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg
.
He received his training in the fields of cardiology and general surgery at the Johannesburg Hospital. He completed a residency in cariothoracic surgery from Baylor College of Medicine
in Houston and completed fellowships at Baylor and Cleveland Clinic
in Cleveland, Ohio
.
Dr. Svensson has been the recipient of numerous awards In 2005, Dr. Svensson was named the prestigious King James IV Professor of Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
. He has also held academic appointments including Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Veterans Administration Hospital
in Houston; Clinical Instructor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School
; Clinical Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Tufts University
in Boston
; and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. He has been the recipient of numerous research grants and fellowships and has been listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, Who's Who in Medicine, Who's Who in the World, Who’s Who in Finance and Industry, and in Top Doctors.
He has authored the reference text book "Cardiovascular and Vascular Diseases of the Aorta" and has authored or co-authored hundreds of journal articles, reviews, book chapters, abstracts, and commentaries. He has been invited to lecture at hundreds of regional, national, and international symposia and conferences. He is the former associate editor of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. He also serves on several editorial boards, including the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
, Journal for Minimal Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Journal of Cardiac Surgery
, and the Annals of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.
Dr. Svensson is a Fellow in these professional societies: The Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
, the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada in Vascular and Cardiothoracic Surgery, the American College of Surgeons
, the American College of Cardiology
, and the American College of Physician Executives
. In addition, he is an active member of several other professional organizations, including the DeBakey International Society.
Cardiac surgeon
A cardiac surgeon is a surgeon who performs cardiac surgery—operative procedures on the heart and great vessels.-Training:A cardiac surgery residency typically comprises anywhere from six to nine years of training to become a fully qualified surgeon...
at Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic
The Cleveland Clinic is a multispecialty academic medical center located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Cleveland Clinic is currently regarded as one of the top 4 hospitals in the United States as rated by U.S. News & World Report...
, ranked as America's #1 ranked heart program since 1995. Dr. Svensson is the Director of the Aorta Center, Director of the Marfan Syndrome
Marfan syndrome
Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder of the connective tissue. People with Marfan's tend to be unusually tall, with long limbs and long, thin fingers....
and Connective Tissue Disorder Clinic, and is a professor of surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
The Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine was established in 2002 with a $100 million gift from Norma and Al Lerner and through a collaboration between Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University. The first class of students was enrolled in 2004.The Lerner College offers a five-year...
and Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
. He is also the Director of Quality Outcomes and Process Improvement for the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and Affiliate Cardiac Surgery Program at Cleveland Clinic.
Throughout his career, Dr. Svensson has contributed to the advances in the field of cardiovascular surgery. He has been instrumental in developing minimally invasive keyhole surgery, with particular expertise in aorta
Aorta
The aorta is the largest artery in the body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it branches off into two smaller arteries...
and aortic valve
Aortic valve
The aortic valve is one of the valves of the heart. It is normally tricuspid , although in 1% of the population it is found to be congenitally bicuspid . It lies between the left ventricle and the aorta....
surgery. He is currently involved in a number of clinical research
Clinical research
Clinical research is a branch of medical science that determines the safety and effectiveness of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use...
trials, including research to investigate percutaneous
Percutaneous
In surgery, percutaneous pertains to any medical procedure where access to inner organs or other tissue is done via needle-puncture of the skin, rather than by using an "open" approach where inner organs or tissue are exposed .The percutaneous approach is commonly used in vascular procedures...
methods for replacing or repairing aortic and mitral valve
Mitral valve
The mitral valve is a dual-flap valve in the heart that lies between the left atrium and the left ventricle...
s.
Among Dr Svensson contributions include modifying the technically demanding operation of replacing the aortic arch
Aortic arch
The arch of the aorta or the transverse aortic arch is the part of the aorta that begins at the level of the upper border of the second sternocostal articulation of the right side, and runs at first upward, backward, and to the left in front of the trachea; it is then directed backward on the left...
(the "elephant procedure") to make it safer; extensive research on paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
after aortic surgery that has led to reduction of paralysis risk to less than half; illustrated that certain methods of doing arch surgery can reduce the risk of stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
by 40%; illustrated techniques to reduce the risk of kidney failure after aortic surgery; simplified a method for preserving a patient’s aortic valve and reimplanting it at the time of surgery so that patients (particularly young patients) do not require a valve replacement; developed a minimally invasive approach (the "J incision") for performing keyhole valve and aortic surgery; and has been involved from the beginning on the research of percutaneous aortic valves in transapical animal studies and the development of the randomized trials to prove the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous aortic valves. Dr. Svensson was also the first to do a replacement of the entire aorta during a single operation.
Born in Barberton, South Africa, Dr. Svensson completed his undergraduate studies at Treverton College in Mooi River, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and earned his medical degree and Ph.D. from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
.
He received his training in the fields of cardiology and general surgery at the Johannesburg Hospital. He completed a residency in cariothoracic surgery from Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
in Houston and completed fellowships at Baylor and Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic
The Cleveland Clinic is a multispecialty academic medical center located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Cleveland Clinic is currently regarded as one of the top 4 hospitals in the United States as rated by U.S. News & World Report...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
.
Dr. Svensson has been the recipient of numerous awards In 2005, Dr. Svensson was named the prestigious King James IV Professor of Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an organisation dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement in surgical practice, through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical workforce...
. He has also held academic appointments including Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Veterans Administration Hospital
Veterans Administration Hospital
Veterans Administration Hospital or Veterans Administration Medical Center is a term used to refer to one of the medical facilities operated by the Veterans Health Administration, a division of the U.S...
in Houston; Clinical Instructor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
; Clinical Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
; and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. He has been the recipient of numerous research grants and fellowships and has been listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, Who's Who in Medicine, Who's Who in the World, Who’s Who in Finance and Industry, and in Top Doctors.
He has authored the reference text book "Cardiovascular and Vascular Diseases of the Aorta" and has authored or co-authored hundreds of journal articles, reviews, book chapters, abstracts, and commentaries. He has been invited to lecture at hundreds of regional, national, and international symposia and conferences. He is the former associate editor of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. He also serves on several editorial boards, including the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering cardiology, general surgery, pulmonary medicine, and vascular disease published by Elsevier. It is an official journal of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic...
, Journal for Minimal Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Journal of Cardiac Surgery
Journal of Cardiac Surgery
The Journal of Cardiac Surgery is an American journal about cardiology and surgery founded in 1986. It is devoted to contemporary surgical treatment of cardiac disease.-External links:*...
, and the Annals of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.
Dr. Svensson is a Fellow in these professional societies: The Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa is the custodian of the quality of medical care in South Africa. It is unique in the world in that its 27 constituent Colleges represent all the disciplines of medicine and dentistry. One route to specialisation in South Africa, is via a "Fellowship"...
, the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada in Vascular and Cardiothoracic Surgery, the American College of Surgeons
American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice.-Membership:...
, the American College of Cardiology
American College of Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949 to advocate for quality cardiovascular care through education, research promotion, development and application of standards and guidelines, and to influence health care policy...
, and the American College of Physician Executives
American College of Physician Executives
The American College of Physician Executives is the nation's oldest and largest health care organization for physician executives - doctors who hold leadership and management positions. Its members include CEOs, COOs, CMOs, CQOs and health system officers. Its central offices are located in Tampa,...
. In addition, he is an active member of several other professional organizations, including the DeBakey International Society.