Renowned Cardiac Surgeon & Padma Shri Awardee Dr. K.M. Cherian, Who Performed India's First CABG Surgery, Passes Away at 82.
Obituary
On January 25, 2025, renowned cardiac surgeon and Padma Shri awardee, Dr. Kotturathu Mammen Cherian, who performed India's first coronary artery bypass surgery, passed away at the age of 82 in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- He was born on March 8, 1942, in the Kingdom of Travancore (now Travancore-Cochin), Kerala.
- He received numerous accolades, including the prestigious 'Padma Shri' award.
- Dr. K.M. Cherian, a pioneering cardiac surgeon, earned his MS from Kasturba Medical College in 1964 and performed his first open-heart surgery in Australia at the age of 26. In 1975, he conducted India’s first successful coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and later introduced the Physician Assistant profession in India.
Main Point :- (i) Dr. K.M. Cherian performed India’s second heart transplant in 1995 and the first heart-lung transplantation, pediatric cardiac surgery, and laser heart surgery (TMR). In 2004, he established Frontier Lifeline Hospital and the Dr. Cherian Heart Foundation in Chennai.
(ii) In 2010, he became the first Indian President of the World Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons (WSCTS) and, in 2016, was selected as a member of the Founder Circle of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.
(iii) For his contributions, he received the Padma Shri in 1991, the Lifetime Achievement Award from KMC Manipal in 2000, and the Harvard Medical Excellence Award in 2005.
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