Dr. Thomas Merle

Dr. Mario Castillo-Sang is a a cardiac surgeon and director of the Advanced Valve Center and of the LVAD program at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, KY (greater Cincinnati area). He trained at Barnes-Jewish Hospital / Washington University in Saint Louis for Cardiac Surgery. He has focused his entire career to minimally invasive mitral valve surgery with emphasis on mitral valve repair, and heart failure therapy with LVADs. Dr. Castillo-Sang‘s program has achieved 3/3 stars from the STS for mitral valve care since 2019. He has performed over 800 minimally invasive operations and is passionate about dissemination of minimally invasive repair techniques. He is the creator of the only online minimally invasive mitral and tricuspid valve surgery course (www.miniheartvalves.com) for surgeons and allied health. He is a founding member and part of the steering committee for the Endoscopic Cardiac Surgery Club (www.ecsclub.org). Dr. Castillo-Sang has worked with industry to bring about new instruments and retractors for minimally invasive surgery and is a passionate speaker on minimally invasive endoscopic techniques. Dr. Castillo-Sang has lectured nationally and internationally on the topic of endoscopic valve surgery. Dr. Castillo is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Patent Foramen Ovale Repair. His top areas of expertise are Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Atrial Myxoma, Mitral Stenosis, Patent Foramen Ovale Repair, and Heart Valve Repair.

Peter Pavlina is a Thoracic Surgeon in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Pavlina is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Patent Foramen Ovale Repair. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Valve Stenosis, Aortic Dissection, Cystic Medial Necrosis of Aorta, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG), and Heart Bypass Surgery.

Geoffrey Answini is a Thoracic Surgeon in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Answini is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Patent Foramen Ovale Repair. His top areas of expertise are Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, Aortic Dissection, Cystic Medial Necrosis of Aorta, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), and Aortic Valve Replacement.