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

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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

Higher Flow on Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Pediatrics Is Associated With a Lower Incidence of Acute Kidney Injury. Reagor, JA; Clingan, S; Gao, Z; Morales, DL S; Tweddell, JS; Bryant, R; Young, W; Cavanaugh, J; Cooper, DS. Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2020; 32:1015-1020.

Mid-term Outcomes of the Supported Ross Procedure in Children, Teenagers, and Young Adults. Riggs, KW; Colohan, DB; Beacher, DR; Alsaied, T; Powell, S; Moore, RA; Ginde, S; Tweddell, JS. Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2020; 32:498-506.

Mitral Valve Surgery in Neonates, Infants, and Children: Surgical Approach, Outcomes, and Predictors. Isaacson, E; Lucjak, C; Johnson, WK; Yin, Z; Wang, T; Rein, L; Woods, RK; Tweddell, JS; Hraska, V; Mitchell, ME. (2020) Elsevier BV. 32:541-550.

COVID-19: Crisis Management in Congenital Heart Surgery. Stephens, EH; Dearani, JA; Guleserian, KJ; Overman, DM; Tweddell, JS; Backer, CL; Romano, JC; Bacha, E. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2020; 110:701-706.

COVID-19: Crisis management in congenital heart surgery. Stephens, EH; Dearani, JA; Guleserian, KJ; Overman, DM; Tweddell, JS; Backer, CL; Romano, JC; Bacha, E. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2020; 160:522-528.

The Pediatric Heart Network Residual Lesion Score Study: Design and objectives. Nathan, M; Trachtenberg, FL; Van, RM I; Gaynor, W; Kanter, K; Ohye, R; Bacha, EA; Tweddell, J; Schwartz, SM; Minich, LL; et al. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2020; 160:218-223.e1.

Commentary: The time has come to measure and examine technical skills. Tweddell, JS. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2020; 160:240-241.

COVID-19: Crisis Management in Congenital Heart Surgery. Stephens, EH; Dearani, JA; Guleserian, KJ; Overman, DM; Tweddell, JS; Backer, CL; Romano, JC; Bacha, E. World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Hearth Surgery. 2020; 11:395-400.

The reality of limping to pediatric heart transplantation. Riggs, KW; Zafar, F; Lorts, A; Chin, C; III, BR; Tweddell, JS; Morales, DL S. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2020; 159:2418-2425.e1.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor Prescription for Patients With Single Ventricle Physiology Enrolled in the NPC-QIC Registry. Hansen, JE; Brown, DW; Hanke, SP; Bates, KE; Tweddell, JS; Hill, G; Anderson, JB. Journal of the American Heart Association : Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease. 2020; 9.