Dr. Asoka Balaratna

"Philosophy of care | I perform very complex cardiac and aortic reconstructive procedures. My philosophy regarding my patients is to complete these operations with the utmost skill, perfection and result as possible. Just as importantly, I spend time with my patients and their families to explain in great detail their condition and how we are going to treat it. This includes all the potential options available. My primary goal is to allow my patients some choice but, more importantly, to make sure they completely understand their disease process. My focus for many years has been a ""disease management process"" that fosters a long-term commitment to my patients revolving around the specifics of aortic and valvular heart disease. | Why I entered medicine | Initially, I wanted to be a political scientist; however, a number of life experiences changed that. My grandfather had Lou Gehrig’s disease and lived with us when I was growing up. This daily experience had a profound effect during formative years in high school. Interestingly, our next-door neighbor was a general/vascular surgeon, and I came to know him quite well. He was my initial mentor in this field. I initially studied engineering but was fascinated with cardiac physiology and this translated into medicine and cardiac surgery specifically. However, the passion and commitment to treat patients and their suffering was first embedded in my psyche secondary to witnessing, in all domains, my grandfather's demise from Lou Gehrig’s disease. | Community involvement | President, The Thoracic Surgery Foundation, impacting the global community by delivering quality thoracic care to lower- and middle-income countries across the world. | Personal interests | I enjoy traveling the world, Philadelphia professional sports, golfing and coaching baseball.". Dr. Bavaria is highly rated in 20 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Bicuspid Aortic Valve, Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, Aortic Dissection, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Heart Valve Repair.

Wilson Szeto is a Thoracic Surgeon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Szeto is highly rated in 24 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Dissection, Aortic Valve Stenosis, Bicuspid Aortic Valve, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). Dr. Szeto is currently accepting new patients.

Nimesh Desai is a Thoracic Surgeon in Center Radnor, Pennsylvania. Dr. Desai is highly rated in 26 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Aortic Dissection, Bicuspid Aortic Valve, Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, Heart Valve Repair, and Aortic Valve Replacement. Dr. Desai is currently accepting new patients.