Dr. Balasubramoniam K R

About the Doctor

Dr. Balasubramoniam K R completed his MBBS in 2001 and MS General Surgery in 2006 from Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, following which he completed his MCh CVTS (Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery) program at the prestigious Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Trivandrum, in 2010. 

He subsequently worked as a Junior Cardiac Surgeon at the Southern Railway Hospital, Perambur, Chennai, till 2011. He rejoined SCTIMST, Trivandrum, in 2011 as an Assistant Professor in the Thoracic and Aortic Surgery Division, Department of CVTS. He was instrumental in starting the first Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) Program in Kerala in 2012.

In 2014, he joined as the Clinical Associate Professor, Head of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Division, Department of CVTS, at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi. He established the VATS program at AIMS in 2014, followed by the first Robotic Thoracic Surgery Program in 2016. He was in charge of the VV ECMO Program and was actively involved in the Heart and Lung Transplant Program at AIMS from 2016. He was involved in complex surgical procedures that needed multidisciplinary planning, such as Allograft Tracheal Transplantation and Costoverterbral Angle Tumour Resections. He completed 600 VATS and 150 Robotic Procedures during his five-year tenure at AIMS.

In 2019, he joined as a Consultant Robotic and Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgeon at Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, covering all four branches. He has completed 700 Thoracic Surgery Procedures at Yashoda Hospitals as of 2023, with 70% of them being done minimally invasively via VATS or Robotic Surgery. Since 2023, he has been leading the Lung Transplant Program at Yashoda Hospitals. He is also the program coordinator for the first IACTS-accredited VATS Training Program in the country, since 2022.

Educational Qualifications

• 2008-2010: MCh (CVTS), Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram
• 2003-2006: MS (General Surgery), Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram
• 1995-2001: MBBS, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram

Experience

• July 2019-Present: Consultant Robotic, Minimally Invasive Thoracic and Lung Transplant Surgeon, Yashoda Hospitals, Secunderabad, Somajiguda, Malakpet, & Hitec City
• Aug 2014-June 2019: Associate Professor, Department of CVTS and Heart Lung Transplantation, Head of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Thoracic Unit, VV ECMO Program, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi
• Oct 2011-June 2014: Assistant Professor, Department of CVTS, Minimally Invasive Thoracic and Aortic Division, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram
• Feb 2011-Sep 2011: Junior Cardiac Surgeon, Southern Railway Hospital, Perambur, Chennai
• Advanced Training Programs:
  • 2018: Uniportal VATS, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Shanghai, China
  • 2017: Robotic Thoracic Surgery, University of Rouen, France
  • 2016: Robotic Thoracic Surgery, University of Alabama, USA
  • 2015: Lung Transplantation, University of Vienna, Austria
  • 2014: Advanced Aortic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, USA
  • 2014: Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS), Cedar Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles, USA
  • 2013: Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS), National University Hospital, Singapore
• Lung Transplant Experience:
  • Oct 2020-Present: Lung Transplant Surgeon, Heart & Lung Transplant Unit and ECMO Program, Yashoda Hospital, Secunderabad (Performed more than 35 Lung Transplants)
  • Tracheal Transplantation: Lead Thoracic Surgeon in the multidisciplinary team that performed India's first Tracheal Allotransplant using Autologous Prefabricated Tracheal Flap
  • 2015-2019: Lung Transplant Surgeon, Heart Lung Transplant Program, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & In-Charge of VV ECMO, Head of Thoracic, Vascular and Aortic Surgery Unit
  • 2015: Advanced Training in Lung Transplantation, University of Vienna

  Special Interest and Expertise

  • Lung Transplantation for End Stage Lung Failure
  • Minimally Invasive (Keyhole) Thoracic Surgery-VATS & Robotics
  • Comprehensive Management of Lung Cancer
  • Robotic Mediastinal Tumour Excision-Thymectomy & Lobectomy
  • Thoracic Surgery for High Risk Patients with Poor Lung Function
  • Lung Parenchymal Sparing Procedures-Sleeve Lobectomy
  • Chest Wall Tumours and Reconstruction Techniques
  • VATS Sympathectomy for Palmoplantar Hyperhidrosis (increased hand sweating)
  • Tracheal Surgery
  • Sternal Osteomyelitis Management with Flap Reconstruction
  • Rib Fracture Fixation