Rami Akhrass, MD

Rami Akhrass, MD, is a Staff Cardiothoracic Surgeon with Cleveland Clinic. He is the Regional Medical Director of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Program. Dr. Akhrass specializes in the surgical treatment of adult acquired heart disease, including coronary revascularization, valve repair and replacement, and aortic and pulmonary surgery. He is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and the American Board of General Surgery.

A native of California with roots in Syria, Dr. Akhrass received his medical degree from Damascus University in Damascus, Syria. He did his internship in general surgery at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu prior to completing residencies in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. In 1997, Cleveland Clinic's Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery awarded him a fellowship in adult cardiac surgery. Dr. Akhrass was appointed to Cleveland Clinic as a Staff Cardiothoracic Surgeon in 1998.

Dr. Akhrass has been an invited lecturer at international conferences on cardiothoracic surgical topics such as mitral valve repair, the durability of combined aortic and mitral valve repair, thoracic trauma and off-pump coronary revascularization. He is a Co-Investigator on a multicenter study of the safety of the EMBOL-X arterial cannula and filter system in patients undergoing coronary bypass grafting procedures requiring cardiopulmonary bypass. He has published in professional journals such as the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, PACE and American Surgeon.

Dr. Akhrass is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a Fellow of the College of Chest Physicians and a member of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

Education & Professional Highlights

Appointed
1998

Education & Fellowships

Fellowship - Cleveland Clinic
Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surg
Cleveland, OH USA
1997

Fellowship - University Hospitals of Cleveland
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Cleveland, OH USA
1997

Residency - University Hospitals of Cleveland
General Surgery
Cleveland, OH USA
1995

Internship - University of Hawaii
Surgery
Honolulu, HI USA
1990

Medical Education - Damascus University
MD
Damascus, Syria
1987

Undergraduate - Damascus University
Damascus, Syria
1983

Certifications

Thoracic Surgery - Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Specialty Interests

Adult cardiothoracic surgery, aorta surgery, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, heart valve surgery, lung surgery, minimally invasive thoracic procedures, surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation, surgical treatment of adult acquired heart disease

Research & Publications

See publications for Rami Akhrass, MD.

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Industry Relationships

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To assure professional and commercial integrity in such matters, Cleveland Clinic maintains a program that reviews these collaborations and, when appropriate, puts measures in place to minimize bias that may result from ties to industry. Cleveland Clinic publicly discloses the names of companies when (i) its physicians/scientists receive $5,000 or more per year (or, in rare cases, equity or stock options) for speaking and consulting, (ii) its physicians/scientists serve as a fiduciary, (iii) its physicians/scientists receive or have the right to receive royalties or (iv) its physicians/ scientists hold any equity interest for the physician's/scientist's role as inventor, discoverer, developer, founder or consultant.* In publicly disclosing this information, Cleveland Clinic tries to provide information as accurately as possible about its physicians' and scientists' connections with industry.

As of 7/3/2023, Dr. Akhrass has reported no financial relationship with industry that is applicable to this listing. In general, patients should feel free to contact their doctor about any of the relationships and how the relationships are overseen by Cleveland Clinic. To learn more about Cleveland Clinic's policies on collaborations with industry and innovation management, go to our Integrity in Innovation page.

Public Health Service-Reportable Financial Conflicts of Interest. Cleveland Clinic scientists and physicians engage in basic, translational and clinical research activities, working to solve health problems, enhance patient care and improve quality of life for patients. Interactions with industry are essential to bringing the researchers' discoveries to the public, but can present the potential for conflicts of interest related to their research activities. Click here to view a listing of instances where Cleveland Clinic has identified a Public Health Service (PHS)-Reportable Financial Conflict of Interest and has put measures in place to ensure that, to the extent possible, the design, conduct and reporting of the research is free from bias.

* Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists subscribe to the guidance presented in the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals and the AdvaMed Code of Ethics on Interactions with Health Care Professionals. As such, gifts of substantial value are generally prohibited.

Patient Satisfaction Reviews

39 Patient Satisfaction Reviews

The Patient Satisfaction Rating is an average of all responses to the care provider related questions shown below from our nationally-recognized Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey. Patients that are treated in outpatient or hospital environments may receive different surveys, and the volume of responses will vary by question.

Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

The comments are submitted by patients and reflect their views and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cleveland Clinic.

Overall		Star Ratings 4.9 out of 5
Explains	4.8
Listens	4.8
Courtesy, Respect & Concern	5
Patient Rating of Doctor	5

1 Patient Comment

Reviewed on Apr 18, 2023

OMG! I'm responding on behalf of my husband's open heart, bypass surgery. This team was ABSOLUTELY SUPERB!!!!!! I cannot praise each of them enough!!!!! We are GRATEFUL for the expertise and care my husband received! Drs. Phillips and Akhrass were EXCEPTIONAL! Madam PA was exemplary!!!! THANKS to ALL OF THEM, including the surgical nurses, collectively and individually!

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About Rami Akhrass, MD