Dr. Chawki Elzein

Dr. Chawki Elzein is a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon. He is the current Co-Director of Inova Children’s Heart Center and is the Bechara Akl Endowed Chair of Congenital Heart Surgery and Chief of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Inova. He joined Inova in 2024 with over 24 years of experience in pediatric cardiac surgery. Prior to joining Inova, Dr. Elzein was a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Illinois. He has given many presentations at national meetings and authored over 50 manuscripts and book chapters. Dr. Elzein’s clinical interests and experience cover all aspects of neonatal cardiac surgery, complex cardiac reconstruction for biventricular repair including heterotaxy syndrome, aortic and mitral valve repair, single ventricle palliation, and adult congenital heart surgery. Dr. Elzein is also experienced in chest wall reconstruction for pectus excavatum and carinatum deformities. Dr. Elzein has performed over 5,000 surgeries as a surgeon and first assistant. As a primary surgeon, he has performed over 100 Norwood procedures, 150 arterial switch operations with and without ventricular septal defects, 75 interrupted aortic arch repairs, 50 truncus arteriosus repair, 75 total anomalous pulmonary venous return repairs, 300 Glenn and 300 Fontan operations, 300 complete atrioventricular canal repairs, 300 tetralogy of Fallot repairs, 150 aortic valve repairs, 150 mitral valve repairs, and hundreds of other complex surgical procedures to repair ventricular and atrial septal defects, correct aortic coarctation, and replace pulmonary valves.