Profile

• 1984 – Excellent: Varvakeios Model School 
• Medical Degree, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) (1990 – Suma Cum Laude / 9.2)
• 1992 – 1995: General Surgery Training– 2nd Propaedeutic Department of Surgery, Medical School, NKUA - Laiko General Hospital (7-10/1994 Department of General and Cardiovascular Surgery, Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA)
• Cardiothoracic Surgery Training (1996-2000) - Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery and 2nd Department of Cardiac Surgery and Heart-Lung Transplant Unit, Regional General Hospital of Athens "Evangelismos"
• 2000: National Boards of Cardiothoracic Surgery Certification 
• 1996: Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) Diploma - USA 
• 2000 – 2002: Post-doctoral Cardiothoracic Surgery Clinical Fellow, Ohio State University Medical Center, OSU, Columbus, OH, USA 
• 2003: European Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons Certification 

1998: "The role of vasa vasorum in the structure and mechanical properties of the thoracic aorta" - Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, Medical School, NKUA (Excellent)

• 2000 – 2002: Instructor in Surgery, Ohio State University Medical Center, OSU, Columbus, OH, USA 
• 1992 – 1994: Senior Cardiac Surgeon, Henry Dunant Hospital 
• 1994 – 1995: Associate Cardiac Surgeon, Athens Medical Center, Marousi 
• Lecturer (2005-2010), Assistant Professor (2010-2016), Associate Professor (2016-2022), and Professor of Cardiac Surgery (2022-present), Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
• 2021 – present: Head of the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Attikon University Hospital 

• Multi-arterial myocardial revascularization
• Complex aortic surgery
• Valve-sparing aortic root replacement (David procedure)
• Minimally invasive cardiac surgery
• Valve surgery, including mitral and aortic valve repair

• State Scholarship Foundation scholarship for the academic years 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1987-88, and 1988-89
• A. Papadakis Bequest scholarship (1985-1990), following exams conducted by NKUA
• Excellence Award - Medical School NKUA (1992)
• Best Experimental Study Award, 5th Panhellenic Conference of Angiology and Vascular Surgery, Athens, 1998
• 1st Prize for Best Research Study, 6th Panhellenic Conference of Angiology and Vascular Surgery, Athens, 1999
• Finalist - Young Investigator’s Award, 13th Annual Meeting, European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Glasgow, Scotland, 1999
• Best Presentation Award, 4th Panhellenic Scientific Symposium of the Hellenic Society of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgeons, Patras, December 2009
• Who's Who in Greece, Hubner 2006, ISBN 3-7290-0061-6
• Who's Who in the World 2013 – 30th Pearl Anniversary Edition, November 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8379-1150-2
• 1st Prize for the Best Cardiac Surgery Presentation, 14th Panhellenic Conference of Hellenic Society of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgeons, 2022, Thessaloniki
  

Scientific editor of 2 books and author of:

• 20 chapters in international (6) and Greek (14) textbooks
• 12 chapters in conference proceedings (Greek and international)
• Publications in international journals (peer-reviewed), 60 of which are indexed in PubMed and Scopus (h-index: 16 / h-index: 20 in Google Scholar)

• More than 260 oral presentations and lectures as an invited speaker and 75 presidencies as moderator at Greek and international conferences. 

Selected publications: 

• Implementation of a cardiogenic shock team in a tertiary academic center. Hellenic J Cardiol 2024 Jul 2:S1109-9666(24)00135-0.
• Is TEVAR an Effective Approach to Prevent Complications after Surgery for Aortic Dissection Type A? A Systematic Review. Healthcare (Switzerland) 2024;12(13):1263.
• Improvement of the outcome of the saphenous vein graft when connected to the internal thoracic artery. Front Cardiovasc Med 2024;11:1478166.
• Mitochondrial Mutations in Cardiovascular Diseases: Preliminary Findings. Genes 2024;15(11):1442.
• Sarcopenia Adversely Affects Outcomes following Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Med 2023;12(17):5573.
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)-Associated Coagulopathy in Adults. Diagnostics 2023;13(23):3496.
• Heart Xenotransplantation: Current Issues and Perspectives. J Tehran Univ Heart Cent 2023;18(2):79-81.
• Investigation of the Role of BMP2 and -4 in ASD, VSD and Complex Congenital Heart Disease. Diagnostics 2023;13(16):2717.
• Bioprosthetic Valves for Lifetime Management of Aortic Stenosis: Pearls and Pitfalls. J Clin Med 2023;12(22):7063.
• Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Post Endovascular Aortic Repair. Vasc Endovasc Surg 2023;57(7):738-748.
• Intraoperative accurate assessment of septal myectomy for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). J Card Surg 2022;37(10):3322-3324.
• Regional and directional variations in the layer-specific resistance to tear propagation in ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms. J Biomech 2022;138:111133.
• Huge asymptomatic left atrial myxoma resected through a superior septal approach. ICVTS 2021;33(3):499.
• Failure properties of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms with dysfunctional tricuspid aortic valves. ICVTS 2021;33(6):949-958.
• Adding Inflammation to the Perfect Cytokine Storm: Concerns Related to Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for COVID-19 Patients. ASAIO J 2020;66(8):E110.
• Successful conservative management of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm caused by a vent catheter. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2020;57(3):611.
• Regional distribution of delamination strength in ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2019;98:58-70.
• Effect of Aneurysm and Bicuspid Aortic Valve on Layer-Specific Ascending Aorta Mechanics. Ann Thorac Surg 2018;106(6):1692-1701.
• Identification of regional/layer differences in failure properties and thickness as important biomechanical factors responsible for the initiation of aortic dissections. J Biomech 2018;80:102-110.
• Bilateral versus single internal-thoracic-artery grafts. N Engl J Med 2017;376(18):e37.
• How should I treat a TAVI-eligible patient with a left ventricular thrombus and rapid clinical deterioration? EuroIntervention 2017;12(16):2033-2036.
• Patient characteristics and predictors of mortality associated with pericardial decompression syndrome: a comprehensive analysis of published cases. Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care 2015;4(2):113-120.
• Mechanical impairment of the aortic media caused by vasa vasorum dysfunction: A potential key element in the pathogenesis of aortic dissection in hypertensive patients. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2014;45(2):395.
• Circulating autoantibodies to oxidized low-density lipoprotein in patients with ascending aortic aneurysms: Marker of oxidative stress involved in pathogenesis, epiphenomenon of endothelial dysfunction, or pure chance? Cardiology 2014;128(2):92-94.
• Single-stage, off-pump hybrid repair of extensive aneurysms of the aortic arch and the descending thoracic aorta. Hellenic J Cardiol 2014;55(5):355-360.
• Jehovah's witnesses may not have identical outcomes with non-transfused non-witnesses after cardiac surgery. JAMA Intern Med 2013;173(3):248-249.
• Bovine aortic arch: Normal variant or a marker of aortopathy? Cardiology 2012;123(2):113-115.
• Surgical thoracic sympathectomy induces structural and biomechanical remodeling of the thoracic aorta in a porcine model. J Surg Res 2012;172(1):68-76.
• Treatment with simvastatin inhibits the formation of abdominal aortic aneurysms in rabbits. Ann Vasc Surg 2012;26(2):250-258.
• Pericardial Decompression Syndrome: A Term for a Well-Defined but Rather Underreported Complication of Pericardial Drainage. Ann Thorac Surg 2010;89(5):1702-1703.
• Does hypothermic circulatory arrest or prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time affect early outcome in reoperative aortic surgery? J Cardiovasc Surg 2010;51(3):423-428.
• Postoperative and Long-Term Outcome of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. Ann Thorac Surg 2010;89(4):1112-1118.
• Reoperative repair of the aortic root and the aortic arch following previous surgery for acute type A aortic dissection. Chirurgia 2009;22(4):171-175.
• Differential Expression of Collagen Type V and XI α-1 in Human Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms. Ann Thorac Surg 2009;88(2):506-513.
• External validation of the modified Thoracoscore in a new thoracic surgery program: Prediction of in-hospital mortality. ICVTS 2009;9(3):463-466.
• The impact of left ventricular hypertrophy on early and long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting. Int J Cardiol 2009;135(1):36-42.
• Acute intraoperative aortic dissection following axillary artery cannulation. ICVTS 2008;7(2):288-289.
• Independent predictors for early and long-term mortality after heart valve surgery. J Heart Valve Dis 2008;17(5):548-556.
• Impact of Early and Delayed Stroke on In-Hospital and Long-Term Mortality After Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. Am J Cardiol 2008;102(4):411-417.
• AIDS-related cardiac tamponade: Is surgical drainage justified? Ann Thorac Surg 2004;78(3):1084-1085.
• Risk factors affecting the survival of patients with pericardial effusion submitted to subxiphoid pericardiostomy. Chest 2003;124(1):242-246.
• Early experience of coronary artery bypass grafting with a new self-closing clip device. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2002;123(4):783-787.
• An alternative surgical approach to facilitate minimally invasive mitral valve surgery. Ann Thorac Surg 2002;73(2):673-674.
• Short- and long-term results of open-heart surgery in patients with abdominal solid organ transplant. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2002;21(6):1061-1072.
• Blunt and penetrating trauma of the thoracic aorta and aortic arch branches: An autopsy study. J Trauma 2000;49(4):696-703.
• Effect of impaired vasa vasorum flow on the structure and mechanics of the thoracic aorta: Implications for the pathogenesis of aortic dissection. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2000;17(4):468-473.

• European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery (EACTS)
• The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (USA)
• The European Society for Cardiology (ESC)
• The Zollinger Surgical Society (OH, USA)
• Hellenic Society of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgeons (Special Secretary of the Board of Directors 2014-6 & 2017-8)
• Hellenic Society of Cardiology (Chairman of the Cardiac Surgery Working Group, 2019-2020)
• Hellenic Aorta and Heart Institute
• Hellenic Surgical Society
• Hellenic College of Surgeons
• Hellenic College of Cardiology, etc.
• Has served in numerous administrative roles and represents Greece in the Cardiothoracic Section of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) (2016-present)

• Thoracic aortic aneurysms and aortic dissection
• Aortic biomechanics
• Pericardial decompression syndrome (term he introduced into international literature)
• Risk stratification models and frailty assessment