About Sajja Heart Foundation
Sajja Heart Foundation was established by Dr. Lokeswara Rao Sajja, a distinguished cardiothoracic surgeon, academic leader, and researcher from Jandrapet Village, Chirala Mandal, Andhra Pradesh, India, with the vision of advancing high-quality cardiovascular research and innovation tailored to the needs of the Indian population.Dr. Sajja completed his undergraduate medical education at Guntur Medical College and pursued his super-specialization in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. He subsequently underwent extensive advanced training under the legendary cardiac surgeon Prof. Denton A. Cooley at the Texas Heart Institute, USA—an experience that profoundly shaped his surgical philosophy, technical rigor, and commitment to academic excellence.
Over a distinguished career spanning more than two decades, Dr. Sajja has performed over 24,700 cardiac surgeries, including more than 18,000 Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) procedures. A significant component of his clinical work has focused on providing advanced cardiac care to economically disadvantaged patients, with several thousand CABG surgeries performed under the Arogyasree Scheme, a flagship state-sponsored healthcare initiative.
In recognition of his exceptional clinical expertise and academic contributions, Dr. Sajja was elected as an Active Member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS)—one of the most prestigious and selective global societies in cardiothoracic surgery. He is among the very few cardiac surgeons from India to attain this distinction and the first from Andhra Pradesh. Notably, he is also the first and only cardiac surgeon from India to have presented original scientific work at the AATS Annual Scientific Meeting.
Dr. Sajja is an active member of several leading international and national professional bodies, including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (USA), European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, and the Indian Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons (IACTS). He served as President of IACTS during 2023–2024.
Recognizing the need for a focused academic platform dedicated exclusively to coronary surgery, Dr. Sajja founded the Society of Coronary Surgeons (SCS) in 2020 and serves as its Founder President.
In recognition of his international academic standing, Dr. Sajja has been conferred several prestigious professional fellowships, including Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC), and Fellow of the European Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (FESCTS). He is also a Professional Member of the American Heart Association (AHA).
A committed clinician-scientist, Dr. Sajja has published over 135 peer-reviewed scientific articles in leading national and international journals. He is a highly sought-after academic reviewer and has peer-reviewed more than 500 manuscripts for reputed cardiovascular and surgical journals worldwide. His editorial responsibilities include serving as Assistant Editor, Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, and Section Editor (Cardiothoracic Surgery), Indian Heart Journal, in addition to participation on international advisory boards.
Dr. Sajja has played a pioneering role in advancing evidence-based cardiac surgery in India. He led India’s first randomized controlled trial in cardiac surgery (PROMOTE Patency Trial) and is currently leading the PREDICT Trial, a multicenter, ICMR-supported randomized study evaluating graft patency and long-term outcomes after CABG. His translational research contributions also include the development of a novel mechanical prosthetic heart valve designed to reduce or eliminate the need for long-term oral anticoagulation—granted both US and Indian patents—and the Mammary Artery Support Platform (MASP) to facilitate advanced coronary surgical techniques.
In recognition of his sustained contributions to cardiovascular science and academic leadership, Dr. Sajja received the Blackbuck Pioneer Researcher Award in 2024. He was also selected for the Dr. Yellapragada Subbarao Award (2026), conferred by Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
Driven by a strong commitment to indigenous, patient-centric, and scientifically rigorous cardiovascular research, Dr. Sajja founded the Sajja Heart Foundation as a dedicated platform to promote clinical research, basic science innovation, academic collaboration, and capacity building in cardiovascular medicine and surgery, with special emphasis on addressing the unique challenges and opportunities within the Indian healthcare system.
About Dr. Lokeswara Rao Sajja
Dr. Lokeswara Rao Sajja is a leading Indian senior consultant cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon based in Hyderabad. [1, 2]
Profile & Current Position
- Current Role: Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Director of Cardiovascular Research at Star Hospitals, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. [1, 2]
- Leadership Roles: Chairman of the Sajja Heart Foundation, Founder-President of the Society of Coronary Surgeons, and Past President of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeons (IACTS) (2023–2024). [1]
- Recent Honor: Elected as a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC) in October 2026. [1]
Education & Training
- MBBS: Guntur Medical College (1980). [1]
- MS (General Surgery): JIPMER, Puducherry (1986). [1]
- M.Ch. (Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery): AIIMS, New Delhi (1989). [1]
- Fellowship: Texas Heart Institute, USA, trained under Prof. Denton A. Cooley (1992–1993). [1, 2]
Key Achievements & Innovations
- Surgical Experience: Over 44 years of experience with roughly 20,000 open-heart and coronary surgeries performed.
- Medical Inventions: Invented a mechanical prosthetic heart valve (holding US and Indian patents) and the Mammary Artery Support Platform (MASP) for bypass surgery.
- Major Trials: Spearheaded milestone Indian and international multicenter randomized clinical trials, including the PROMOTE Patency Trial, the PREDICT trial, the Arterial Revascularization Trial (ART), and the ROMA Trial.
- Honors: Inducted as an associate member of Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society (July 2025), recipient of the Y. Nayudamma Award (2022) and Blackbuck Pioneer Researcher Award (2024), and an active member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) since 2013. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Research publications of Lokeswara Rao Sajja
Dr. Lokeswara Rao Sajja is a senior cardiothoracic surgeon and Director of Cardiovascular Research at Star Hospitals, Hyderabad. He has authored over 115 peer-reviewed research papers and landmark clinical trials focusing on coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), arterial revascularization, and prosthetic heart valve design. [1, 2, 3]
Key Landmark Studies & Trials
- Arterial Revascularization Trial (ART): Co-authored long-term multinational studies comparing single versus bilateral internal-thoracic-artery grafts. [1, 2]
- PROMOTE Patency Study: Led India's first multi-center randomized controlled trial comparing off-pump and on-pump multivessel coronary artery bypass surgery. [1, 2]
- PREDICT Study: Spearheaded a multi-center study supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) evaluating surgical strategies. [1]
- Surface Anticoagulation Study: Published in PLoS ONE (2026) on the in-vitro hemocompatibility of mechanical heart valves using electrically induced biomimetic glycocalyx. [1]
Major Publications & Milestones
- 100th Original Research Paper: Published “Trends of re-operative coronary artery bypass grafting: A two-decade experience” in the Asian Cardiovascular and Thoracic Annals (November 2022). [1]
- First Published Paper: “Dual left anterior descending coronary artery: surgical revascularization in 4 patients” in the Texas Heart Institute Journal (2000). [1]
