EXPERIENCE

Professional Experience

• 
  Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon & Director of Research, Star Hospitals, Hyderabad (2008–present) – Dr Sajja joined Star Hospitals in May 2008 as Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and in charge of academics. In 2009 he was appointed Director of Cardiovascular Surgical Research, overseeing research programmes and clinical trials. He continues to lead the cardiothoracic surgical team and train residents as DNB faculty.
  
  Past President, Indian Association of Cardiovascular‑Thoracic Surgeons (IACTS) (2023–2024) – After serving as Junior Vice‑President (elected 2021) and then President in 2023, Dr Sajja completed his term as Past President of IACTS in 2024.
  
  Founder and President, Society of Coronary Surgeons (SCS) (2020–present) – Dr Sajja founded the Society of Coronary Surgeons in December 2020. The society was inaugurated virtually by the Vice‑President of India and is dedicated to advancing coronary surgery and multi‑arterial grafting. He continues to serve as its Founder President.
  
  Chairman, Sajja Heart Foundation, Hyderabad (2013–present) – Dr Sajja chairs the Sajja Heart Foundation, recognised as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (SIRO). He oversees multicentre randomized trials and translational research through the foundation.
  
  Head of DNB Cardiothoracic Surgery Programme, Star Hospitals (2011–2013) – He led the Diplomate of National Board (DNB) training programme in cardiothoracic surgery at Star Hospitals and continues to teach as DNB faculty.
  
  Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon & Academic Head, Care Hospital, Hyderabad (2001–2008) – Before joining Star Hospitals, Dr Sajja served as Senior Consultant and head of academics at Care Hospital’s Institute of Medical Sciences. He also led the DNB programme in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery there from 2005 to 2008.
  
  Consultant Positions (1993–2001) –
  
  Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Medwin Hospitals, Hyderabad (Mar 2000 – Jan 2001).
  
  Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Madras Medical Mission, Chennai (Nov 1999 – Feb 2000).
  
  Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Citi Cardiac Research Centre, Vijayawada (Apr 1996 – Oct 1999).
  
  Consultant Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon, Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad (Mar 1993 – Mar 1996).
  
  Early Career and Training (1981–1992) –
  
  Fellow in Cardiovascular Surgery under Prof Denton A Cooley at Texas Heart Institute, Houston (Jan 1992 – Dec 1992).
  
  Junior Consultant Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon, Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad (Sept 1991 – Nov 1991).
  
  Senior Registrar, Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad (Feb 1990 – Aug 1991).
  
  Senior Resident, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, AIIMS New Delhi (Jan 1986 – Jan 1990).
  
  Senior Resident, Cardiothoracic Surgery, JIPMER Pondicherry (Aug 1986 – Dec 1986).
  
  Senior Resident, General Surgery, JIPMER Pondicherry (Apr 1986 – Jul 1986).
  
  Junior Resident, General Surgery, JIPMER Pondicherry (May 1983 – Mar 1986).
  
  First‑Year Resident, Department of Surgery, PGIMER Chandigarh (Jul 1981 – Jun 1982).

* Introduction of New Heart Surgery

*He is the Founder-President of the Society of Coronary Surgeons, which was inaugurated virtually by His Excellency Honorable Vice-President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu Ji in December 2020.

* He is elected as the Junior Vice-President of IACTS during the 67th Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeons (IACTS) held between 26 and 28th Feb 2021. He shall be installed as the President of IACTS in 2023.

* Promote Patency Trial; the first multi-centric Randomized Controlled trial conducted in Cardiac Surgery in India by seven Cardiac Surgeons under the leadership of Dr. Lokeswara Rao Sajja was published in the Indian Journal of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgery was selected for the Best Original Article 2020 award during the 67th Annual Conference of IACTS.

* Dr. Sajja is one of the Authors of a paper published from the Arterial Revascularization Trial, one of the largest and longest followed-up multi-national RCT in Cardiac Surgery, -Ten-year outcomes after off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: Insights from the Arterial Revascularization Trial, was published in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery-2020.

* He Presented contemporary trends in coronary artery surgery in India at the old Congress on cardia sciences in 2018

* The study was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American for Thoracic Surgery at SanDiego in April-2008

* PROMOTE Patency- Prospective Randomized comparison of Off-pump and On-pump Multivessel cOronary artery bypass surgery To Evaluate outcomes and graft patency. The study was conducted at 6 centers in India (Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nadiad, Coimbatore) a total of 320 patients were enrolled.

* Dr. Sajja delivered a lecture in Dr. C Sambasiva Rao Memorial Endowment CME program on “Recent advances in Cardiac Surgery” at Guntur Medical College, Guntur on 28.Feb.2016.

* Lokeswara Rao Sajja. Bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting in India - time to raise the bar. Presented at American Association for Thoracic Surgery International Coronary Congress held in New York, USA. August 21-23,2015.

* Lokeswara Rao Sajja, Gopi Chand Mannam , Rama Chandra Raju Pusapati Ramesh Gudapati, Raghava Raju Penumatsa Jyothsna Guttikonda Sriramulu Sompalli. Analysis of thirty-day outcomes of off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: a large cohort study. Presented at American Association for Thoracic Surgery International Coronary Congress held in New York, USA. August 21-23,2015.

* Sajja LR, Strategies to reduce deep sternal wound infection after bilateral internal mammary artery grafting. Int J Surg. 2015;16: 171-178.

* Lokeswara Rao Sajja. “The Journey of Surgery for Coronary Artery Disease in India: Adoption, Customization and Innovation”. Sadasivan Oration. Indian J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014; 30:116-128.

Healthy Heart Ride 2014 - KBR Park Hyderabad

Lokeswara Rao Sajja. The journey of surgery for coronary artery disease in India: adoption, customization and innovation. Sadasivan Oration of Indian Association of Cardiovascular –Thoracic Surgeons June 2014, Volume 30, Issue 2, pp 116-128

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