Dr. Bahirathan Krishnadasan, MD, FACS

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Get to know Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Bahirathan Krishnadasan, who serves patients in Santa Monica, California.

Dr. Krishnadasan is a general cardiothoracic surgeon working at Saint John’s Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California. He specializes in minimally invasive approaches to benign and malignant diseases, including esophageal disease, lung disease, mediastinal disease, and pleural disease, among others. 

Saint John’s Cancer Institute is renowned for advancing therapeutics, translational science, and establishing standards of care. It fosters robust fellowship programs, implements and initiates clinical trials, and collaborates with academic and industry partners worldwide.

An early adopter of robotic technology, Dr. Krishnadasan is a pioneer in teaching, proctoring, and developing techniques in robot-assisted thoracic surgery. His expertise resulted in his practice being designated the first Thoracic Epicenter Program in the West Coast in 2011. 

To date, he has performed more than 1800 robotic cases, including lung resections, esophageal resections, and surgery for foregut problems.

With a love for teaching, especially adult education, Dr. Krishnadasan teaches residents and has served as a consultant for Intuitive for the last 10 years. He still teaches most of the West Coast courses for surgeons, and it is one of his passions to help people progress in their learning curve and see their potential realized.

In regards to his educational background, Dr. Krishnadasan graduated with his medical degree from the UC Davis School of Medicine. He then went on to perform his internship, residency, and fellowship in thoracic surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle.

With an unwavering commitment to his specialty, the doctor is board-certified in thoracic and cardiac surgery by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS). The ABTS is an American surgical organization devoted to surgery of the chest.

A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), Dr. Krishnadasan has led a thoracic surgery program that is among the top 5% for quality and volume in the country. The program earned a 3-star designation, the maximum that can be achieved for Lung Cancer Surgery from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. 

Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in the surgical treatment of organs inside the thorax. Cardiothoracic surgeons are medical doctors who specialize in surgical procedures inside the thorax, which may involve the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest. Alongside performing surgery, they also diagnose and treat diseases of these organs.

Having earned a number of awards for exceptional patient satisfaction, Dr. Krishnadasan has been named one of the Top Thoracic Surgeons in Washington State. 

In his free time, he runs, lifts, and cycles recreationally. He is a bit of a gym rat. He also enjoys spending time with his family and especially traveling with them, locally and remotely. In Seattle, they are active throughout the year, wake surfing and wakeboarding in the summer, and snowboarding in the winter.

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