A photo of James S. Tweddell.

Executive Co-Director, Heart Institute

Director, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart Institute

Professor, UC Department of Surgery

513-803-8824

Board Certified

My Biography & Research

Biography

Dr. Tweddell leads the Heart Institute’s surgical team providing unparalleled surgical care and innovation for our patients and their families. 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. Dr. Tweddell 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.

Dr. Tweddell is the elite surgeon of his generation and 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. In addition, Dr. Tweddell reduced interstage mortality of a single ventricle patient through the development of a home monitoring program.

Clinical Interests

Surgical emphases include congenital heart surgery in neonates, infants, children, teenagers and adults. Heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support.

Research Interests

Developing reliable and reproducible evidence-based perioperative management strategies to improve survival and developmental outcomes; novel monitoring techniques such as continuous venous oximetry and near infrared spectroscopy. 

Academic Affiliation

Professor, UC Department of Surgery

Clinical Divisions

Heart, Heart Failure, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Lung Transplant, Fetal Heart Program

Research Divisions

Heart, Cardiothoracic Surgery



Blog Posts

A New Kind of Clot Blocker

Heart and Lung

A New Kind of Clot Blocker

James S. Tweddell, MD, Joseph S. Palumbo, MD6/30/2019

My Locations

My Education

MD: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 1985.

Residency: Intern and Second Year Resident in General Surgery, New York Medical Center, New York, NY, 1987.

Residency: Research Fellow in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, MO, 1989.

Residency: Senior Resident and Chief Resident in General Surgery, Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, MO, 1991.

Residency: Resident in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, MO, 1993.

Fellowship: Fellow in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, MO, 1993.

My Publications

Management of Neonates Admitted with Tetralogy of Fallot: Changing Patterns Across the United States. Thangappan, K; Fatuzzo, S; Zafar, F; Winlaw, D; Lehenbauer, D; Batlivala, S; Cnota, JF; Redington, A; Tweddell, JS; Morales, DL S. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2021.

Spectrum Medical Quantum or Terumo CDI 500: Which Device Measures Hemoglobin and Oxygen Saturation Most Accurately When Compared to a Benchtop Blood Analyzer?. Reagor, JA; Gao, Z; Tweddell, JS. Journal of Extra-Corporeal Technology. 2021; 53:181-185.

Risk of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Increased in Patients Undergoing Tracheal Surgery During the Same Hospitalization. Riggs, KW; Wells, D; Zafar, F; Morales, DL S; Bryant, R; Tweddell, JS. World journal for pediatric & congenital heart surgery. 2021.

Over 400 Uses of An Intestinal Submucosal Extracellular Matrix Patch in a Congenital Heart Program. Haney, LC; Ahmed, HF; Dani, A; Chin, P; Thangappan, K; Madsen, N; Zafar, F; Tweddell, JS; Morales, DL S. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2021.

Commentary: As we learn more, we know little. Ashfaq, A; Tweddell, JS. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2021; 162:383-384.

Beta-blocker use after complete repair of tetralogy of Fallot: an analysis of a national database. Villarreal, EG; Farias, JS; Tweddell, JS; Loomba, RS; Flores, S. Cardiology in the Young. 2021; 1-5.

Comparison of Patch Materials for Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction. Ebert, N; McGinnis, M; Johnson, W; Kuhn, EM; Mitchell, ME; Tweddell, JS; Woods, RK. Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2021; 33:459-465.

The Externally-Supported Ross Procedure with Konno Aortoventriculoplasty Surgical Technique. Tweddell, JS; O'Donnell, AP. Operative Techniques in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2021.

Neonatal Cardiopulmonary Bypass Circuit Blood Prime Quality Analysis. Hendrix, BB; Reagor, JA; Tweddell, JS. Journal of Extra-Corporeal Technology. 2021; 53:140-145.

Commentary: Time for a new maxim. Winlaw, DS; Opotowsky, AR; Tweddell, JS. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2021.