Dr Prasanth Nair
Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Dedicated and accomplished Cardiothoracic Surgeon with 15 years of experience, including training and consultancy in India and New Zealand. Skilled in a wide range of adult cardiac and thoracic surgical procedures, with expertise in heart and lung transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. Specialist qualification in Cardiothoracic Surgery from India, complemented by training in high volume centres such as Auckland City Hospital and The Alfred achieving Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Completed a fellowship in Heart and Lung Transplantation at The Alfred and currently excelling as a Staff Specialist in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Townsville University Hospital. Currently also employed as Senior Lecturer in the College of Medicine and Dentistry at James Cook University.
Special interests include total arterial coronary artery bypass surgery, aortic surgery, valve repair and replacement, minimal access cardiac and thoracic surgery including lung resections for cancer.
Education
FRACS, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Melbourne
Jan 2022
DNB Cardiothoracic Surgery, National Board of Examinations, India
Dec 2013
Magister Chirurgiae(M.Ch), Post Graduate Institute of Medical
Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Nov 2012
M.R.C.S, Royal College of Surgeons
Sept 2009
Master of Surgery, Government Medical College,
Thiruvananthapuram , University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India
Jun 2009
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Government
Medical College Thiruvananthapuram, University of Kerala,
Thiruvananthapuram, India
Jun 1999 — May 2004
Employment History
Staff Specialist, Cardiothoracic Surgery at Queensland Health,
Townsville
Jan 2024
Currently employed as Specialist Cardiothoracic Surgeon attending to
daily inpatient care, outpatients, 2 operating lists a week in addition
to being on the call roster. Also attend outreach clinics at Cairns and
Mackay.
Senior Lecturer at College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook
University
Jun 2024
Locum Consultant, Cardiothoracic Surgery at Townsville Hospital,
Townsville
Sept 2023 — Dec 2023
Employed as a locum Cardiothoracic Surgeon with a view to achieving
Staff Specialist Position.
Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellow at Alfred Health, Melbourne
Feb 2022 — Sept 2023
Training in adult heart and lung transplantation and mechanical
circulatory support.
Post Graduate Fellow In Cardiothoracic Surgery at Monash Medical
Centre, Melbourne
Feb 2018 — Feb 2021
Medical Officer on Special Scale (Junior Consultant),
Cardiothoracic Surgical Unit at Auckland District Health Board,
Auckland
Jan 2017 — Dec 2017
- Performed independent operating including a wide variety of
adult cardiac and thoracic surgical procedures under supervision
- On the on-call roster and performed surgical procedures
including repair of Acute Type A dissection repair and other cardiac
emergencies under supervision
- Exposure to heart/lung transplant procedures
Registrar In Cardio-thoracic Surgical Unit at Auckland District
Health Board, Auckland
Jan 2016 — Jan 2017
- Exposure to a wide variety of adult cardiac and thoracic surgical
procedures including heart/lung transplants, aortic procedures and
minimally invasive thoracic surgery
Assistant Professor in Cardiovascular and Thoracic surgery at Post
Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh,
India
Aug 2014 — Dec 2015
- Involved in management of adult and congenital cardiac surgical
as well as thoracic surgical patients
Junior Consultant in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Metro International
Cardiac Centre, Calicut, Kerala
Jul 2013 — Aug 2014
- Performed and assisted off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery
and valve surgeries
Senior Resident in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at Post
Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chnadigarh,
India
Jul 2010 — Jun 2013
- Trained in adult and congenital cardiac surgery as well as thoracic
surgery, including perioperative, surgical and ICU management of
complex patients.
RESEARCH/PRESENTATIONS/PUBLICATIONS
- Histological Surprise after Whipple’s Resection poster presented
at the 68th Annual Conference of the Association of Surgeons of
India, 25th–30th December 2008, Ludhiana
- Incidence of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) in
patients with blunt trauma chest as dissertation for the degree of
M.S. General Surgery
- Factors influencing post-operative outcome in first series of
arterial switch operation for d-Transposition of great arteries
in our institute as dissertation for the degree of M.Ch. C.T.V.S ;Presented at the 59th Annual Conference of Indian Association of
Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons held at Mumbai, India, 14th
Feb – 17th Feb 2013.
- Thymectomy through lateralized partial sternotomy
Article in Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research 2(3):190-1 ·
July 2011; DOI:10.4103/0975-3583.85268
- Use of veno-venous extra corporeal membrane oxygenation
for tracheal resection in a patient with severe left ventricular
dilatation and left ventricular systolic dysfunction in the setting
of severe aortic regurgitation (Case report published in the Indian
Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, first online on 8
May 2017, DOI: 10.1007/s12055-017-0539-5); presented at the 5th
New Zealand Lung Cancer Conference, 27th May 2016 at Auckland
City Hospital
- Migraine-like headaches associated with nickel allergy
requiring removal of atrial septal defect closure device (Case
report published in the Indian Journal of Thoracic and
Cardiovascular Surgery, first online on 01 Mar 2021, DOI
10.1007/s12055-021-01155-8)
- Acute thrombectomy for saddle pulmonary embolus: Case
presentation and review of management (Case report published in
Journal of Clinical Images and Medical Case Reports, 11 Mar 2021,
ISSN 2766-7820)
- Intralobar pulmonary sequestration in an adult: a case report
(Case report published in Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 06
January 2023, 18:5, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13019-023-02127-2)
Grants received
THHS SERTA Research Capacity Grant 2024, Townsville
Jul 2024
Received a funding of AUD 140, 000.00 for a duration of 2 years to
study "Clinical Outcomes after Surgery for Rheumatic Heart disease
in Indigenous patients" from the Townsville Hospital and Health
Services (THHS) Study, Education and Research Trust Account (SERTA).