Lars Svensson, M.D., Ph.D.

Lars Georg Svensson, MD is an attending surgeon and Director of the Center for Aortic Surgery and Director of the Marfan Syndrome and Connective Tissue Disorder Clinic in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Svensson is board-certified in general, vascular, thoracic and cardiac surgery. He specializes in adult cardiac surgery; cardio-aortic and aortic surgery, including combined valve and aneurysm surgery; minimally invasive mitral and aortic valve surgery; mitral and aortic valve repair operations (including bicuspid valve repairs and modified David Reimplantation operation), blood conservation; prevention of stroke and paralysis after aortic surgery; Marfan syndrome; peripheral vascular surgery; Percutaneous valve surgery; and the Maze procedure.

He was born in Barberton, South Africa. He completed his undergraduate work at Treverton College in Mooi River, South Africa and earned his medical degree and Ph.D. in blood flow pathophysiology from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he received numerous fellowships and awards.

Dr. Svensson received his training in cardiology and in general surgery at the Johannesburg Hospital and his training in cardiothoracic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, for which he received a fellowship. He also completed a cardiovascular surgery fellowship and residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

In 2005, Dr. Svensson was named King James IV Professor of Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He has also held academic appointments including Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Houston; Clinical Instructor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School; Clinical Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Tufts University in Boston; and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. He has been the recipient of numerous research grants and fellowships and has been listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, Who's Who in Medicine, Who's Who in the World, Who’s Who in Finance and Industry, and in Top Doctors.

Dr. Svensson has contributed to advances in protecting the brain, spinal cord, and kidneys during major cardiac and aortic surgery and has been instrumental in developing minimally invasive keyhole surgery. He is currently the principal investigator in a number of clinical research trials, including research to investigate percutaneous methods for replacing or repairing aortic and mitral valves.

He has authored the reference text book "Cardiovascular and Vascular Diseases of the Aorta" and has authored or co-authored hundreds of journal articles, reviews, book chapters, abstracts, and commentaries. He has been invited to lecture at hundreds of regional, national, and international symposia and conferences. He is the former associate editor of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. He also serves on several editorial boards, including the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Journal for Minimal Invasive Cardiac Surgery and the Annals of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

Dr. Svensson is a Fellow in these professional societies: The Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada in Vascular and Cardiothoracic Surgery, the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Cardiology, and the American College of Physician Executives. In addition, he is an active member of several other professional organizations, including the DeBakey International Society.

In his leisure time, Dr. Svensson enjoys photography and sailing.

Watch a video about Dr. Svensson and his work treating aortic aneurysm and his work performing aortic surgery.

Or watch a video about Dr. Svensson’s use of percutaneous (non-surgical) treatments for valve and aortic disease.

• Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Tufts University in Boston
• Instructor at Harvard University
• Houston VAMC Chairman of Cardiovascular Surgery
• Lahey Clinic Board of Governors, Director of Surgery Operating Rooms, and Finance Committee
• Director of Aortic Surgery Center, Cleveland Clinic
• Directs and Supervises, Cleveland Clinic Affiliate Cardiac Surgery Programs Processes and Quality of Outcomes

Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada - Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh - General Surgery

• Minimal invasive valve surgery
• Prevention of stroke and paralysis after heart surgery
• Reduction of wound infections
• Percutaneous valves
• Developed techniques for Aortic Valve Repair and Bicuspid Valve Repair
• Developed operations for Aortic Arch Surgery (Elephant Trunk Procedure)
• Developed methods for Reducing Stroke after Heart Surgery
• Developed Techniques to Reduce Paralysis after Descending Aortic, Thoracoabdominal, and Endovascular Stent Graft Surgery
• Chaired Expert Consensus and Guidelines Committee on the use of Endovascular Stent Grafts for Aortic Surgery

• Awarded Second Place, Cleveland Clinic Top 10 Innovations of 2007
• Awarded the King James IV Professor of Surgery by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, 2008
• Who’s Who in Finance and Industry, 2000
• Top Doctors, 1999
• Who’s Who in Medicine, 1997
• Who’s Who in the World, 1997
• Who's Who in America, 1996
• Who's Who in Science and Engineering, 1996
• Lahey Clinic Neurocognitive Research Grant, 1996-1998
• Dana Fund Research Fellowship, 1994
• Lahey Clinic Research Grant, 1993
• Director's Award for Professional Leadership, Houston V.A.M.C, 1992
• V.A Rag Research Fund Award, 1992
• DeBakey Heart Fund Research Award, 1991

• American College of Physician Executives
• American Association for Thoracic Surgery 
• American College of Surgeons
• American College of Cardiology
• The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery

• Cardiosolutions