Dr. James S. Tweddell, MD

Expert Publications

• Venous saturation and the anaerobic threshold in neonates after the Norwood procedure for hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
• Sarcolemmal and mitochondrial K(atp)channels mediate cardioprotection in
• Delayed cardioprotection by isoflurane: role of K(ATP) channels.
• Chronic hypoxia increases endothelial nitric oxide synthase generation of nitric oxide by increasing heat shock protein 90 association and serine phosphorylation.
• Complete staged palliation of hypoplastic left heart syndrome in a child with cystic fibrosis.
• Prospective echocardiographic diagnosis and surgical repair of anomalous origin of a coronary artery from the opposite sinus with an interarterial course.
• Home surveillance program prevents interstage mortality after the Norwood procedure.
• Changes in cerebral and somatic oxygenation during stage 1 palliation of hypoplastic left heart syndrome using continuous regional cerebral perfusion.
• Early cavopulmonary anastomosis in very young infants after the Norwood procedure: impact on oxygenation, resource utilization, and mortality.
• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for pediatric cardiac failure: limitations and future directions.
• Acute cardioprotective effects of erythropoietin in infant rabbits are mediated by activation of protein kinases and potassium channels.
• Orthotopic heart transplantation in a child with histiocytoid cardiomyopathy.
• Home monitoring of infants after stage one palliation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
• Cardioprotection in chronically hypoxic rabbits persists on exposure to normoxia: role of NOS and KATP channels.
• Importance of left ventricular function and systolic ventricular interaction to right ventricular performance during acute right heart ischemia.

Media Releases

Get to know Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. James S. Tweddell, who serves patients in Cincinnati, Ohio.

An exceptional pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Tweddell is the Executive Co-Director and Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Heart Institute, providing unparalleled surgical care and innovation for their patients and their families. His surgical emphases include congenital heart surgery in neonates, infants, children, teenagers and adults, as well as heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support.

The elite surgeon of his generation, he has earned a worldwide reputation for outstanding clinical results based on team contributions to his outcomes. He decreased mortality following the Norwood procedure through the use of venous saturation monitoring and afterload reduction, and reduced interstage mortality of a single ventricle patient through the development of a home monitoring program.

Back in 1985, Dr. Tweddell graduated with his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati. After completing his internship at the New York Medical Center in 1987, he went on to complete his research fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery and his residency in general surgery at the Washington University Medical Center in 1989 and 1991, respectively. Wanting to further his education, he completed his residency in cardiothoracic surgery and his fellowship in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at the same educational venue in 1993.

As a testament of his continued education, the doctor is board-certified in thoracic and cardiac surgery by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, which is an American surgical organization devoted to surgery of the chest.

To boot, he is board-certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery (ABS). The ABS is an independent, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training, and knowledge.

Continuously advancing his efforts, Dr. Tweddell is an active member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Cardiothoracic Surgery Network, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association.

Alongside his clinical role, he serves as a Professor of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Over the last 20 years, he built the pediatric cardiothoracic surgery program at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he held the S. Bert Litwin Chair for Cardiothoracic Surgery position, served as Medical Director of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and Professor and Chief for the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

An enthusiastic researcher, Dr. Tweddell focuses on developing reliable and reproducible evidence-based perioperative management strategies to improve survival and developmental outcomes, and novel monitoring techniques such as continuous venous oximetry and near infrared spectroscopy. He has an extensive list of vital research contributions, having authored more than 125 peer reviewed articles, published numerous books, chapters, invited reviews and editorials, and serving on multiple editorial boards and national committees.

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.

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