Dr. Balasubramoniam K R
Chief Consultant Robotic and Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgeon with over 18+ years of surgical experience leading advanced lung transplant, ECMO, VATS keyhole, and robotic thoracic surgery programs.
Clinical Leadership & Background
Lung Transplant Expertise
Dr. Balasubramoniam K R is a Lung Transplant Surgeon in Hyderabad with extensive experience in managing patients with end-stage lung disease. He leads an advanced lung transplant program supported by a multidisciplinary team, focusing on patient safety, effective recovery, and long-term outcomes.
Dr. Balasubramoniam K R is a Surgical director, Heart & Lung transplant program, Chief Consultant Robotic and Minimally invasive Thoracic Surgery , Yashoda hospital group, Hyderabad, with over 18+ years of experience.
Dr. Balasubramoniam K R completed his MBBS in 2001 and MS General Surgery in 2006 from Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, following which he completed his MCh CVTS (Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery) program at the prestigious Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Trivandrum, in 2010.
He subsequently worked as a Junior Cardiac Surgeon at the Southern Railway Hospital, Perambur, Chennai, till 2011. He rejoined SCTIMST, Trivandrum, in 2011 as an Assistant Professor in the Thoracic and Aortic Surgery Division, Department of CVTS. He was instrumental in starting the first Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) Program in Kerala in 2012.
In 2014, he joined as the Clinical Associate Professor, Head of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Division, Department of CVTS, at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi. He was trained in lung transplantation at the University of Vienna, Austria, and subsequently established the VATS program at AIMS in 2014, followed by the first Robotic Thoracic Surgery Program in 2016. He was in charge of the VV ECMO Program and was actively involved in the Heart and Lung Transplant Program at AIMS from 2016. He was involved in complex surgical procedures that needed multidisciplinary planning, such as Allograft Tracheal Transplantation and Costoverterbral Angle Tumour Resections. He completed 600 VATS and 150 Robotic Procedures during his five-year tenure at AIMS.
In 2019, he joined as a Senior Consultant Robotic and Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgeon at Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, covering all four branches. He has completed over 3500 Thoracic Surgery Procedures, with 2500+ VATS and 300+ Robotic Surgeries. Since 2023, he has been leading the Lung Transplant Program at Yashoda Hospitals with over 130 successful lung transplantations. He is also the program coordinator for the first IACTS-accredited VATS Training Program in the country, since 2022.
Educational Qualifications
- 2008-2010: MCh (CVTS), Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram
- 2003-2006: MS (General Surgery), Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram
- 1995-2001: MBBS, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram
Special Interest & Expertise
Professional Experience
- March 2023-Present: Surgical Director – Heart and Lung transplant program - Yashoda Hospitals group, Hyderabad.
- July 2019-Present: Senior Consultant Robotic, Minimally Invasive Thoracic and Lung Transplant Surgeon, Yashoda Hospitals, Secunderabad, Somajiguda, Malakpet, & Hitec City
- Aug 2014-June 2019: Associate Professor, Department of CVTS and Heart Lung Transplantation, Head of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Thoracic Unit, VV ECMO Program, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi
- Oct 2011-June 2014: Assistant Professor, Department of CVTS, Minimally Invasive Thoracic and Aortic Division, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram
- Feb 2011-Sep 2011: Junior Cardiac Surgeon, Southern Railway Hospital, Perambur, Chennai
Lung Transplant Experience
- Oct 2020-Present: Lung Transplant Surgeon, Heart & Lung Transplant Unit and ECMO Program, Yashoda Hospital, Secunderabad (Performed more than 130 Lung Transplants)
- Tracheal Transplantation: Lead Thoracic Surgeon in the multidisciplinary team that performed India's first Tracheal surgery & airway Allotransplant using Autologous Prefabricated Tracheal Flap
- 2015-2019: Lung Transplant Surgeon, Heart Lung Transplant Program, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & In-Charge of VV ECMO, Head of Thoracic, Vascular and Aortic Surgery Unit
- 2015: Advanced Training in Lung Transplantation, University of Vienna
Conferences & Workshops
- May 6 – 7, 2026: Conducted the Advanced VATS Workshop 2026 at Yashoda Hospital, providing intensive hands-on training to eight selected thoracic surgeons and surgical oncologists from across India and contributing to the education of more than 100 surgeons in advanced Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) techniques.
- April 25 – 26, 2026: Invited as Faculty at the 2nd Middle East Thoracic Congress in Abu Dhabi, where he delivered a lecture on the challenging topic of "Airway Resection and Reconstruction," sharing his expertise with an international audience.
- February 26 – March 1, 2026: Honored to participate in IACTSCON 2026, the National Conference of Cardiothoracic Surgery, held at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, contributing to academic discussions and advancements in cardiothoracic surgery.
- Last 10 Days of January 2026: Successfully performed five bilateral lung transplants within just 10 days, marking a significant milestone in advanced lung transplantation.
- January 2026: Successfully performed a lung transplant with the patient achieving an exceptional recovery and being discharged on post-operative Day 9.
- January 2026: Successfully performed a Bilateral Lobar Lung Transplant for a 12-year-old boy suffering from paraquat poisoning, demonstrating expertise in managing highly complex pediatric lung transplant cases.
- 2025: Participated in the South East Asian Thoracic Society (SEATS) Conference 2025 in Bali and conducted a Robotic Thoracic Surgery Workshop, sharing expertise in advanced minimally invasive thoracic surgical techniques.
- November 30 – December 3, 2023: Participated in the Silver Jubilee NAPCON 2023 held in Hyderabad as part of the scientific program, contributing to one of India's premier conferences in pulmonary medicine.
International Training & Fellowships
- National University Hospital (NUH), Singapore: VATS Training (2013)
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, USA: VATS Training (2014)
- Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, China: Uniportal VATS Training (2018)
- University of Alabama, USA: Advanced Robotic Thoracic Surgery (2016)
- University of Rouen, France: Advanced Robotic Thoracic Surgery (2017)
- University of Vienna, Austria: Advanced International Training in Lung Transplantation (2015)
- Toronto General Hospital, Canada: Thoracic Surgery & Lung Transplantation
- Cleveland Clinic, USA: Advanced Aortic Surgery & Thoracic Care (2014)
Awards & Achievements
- Currently serving as the Director of lung Transplantation & the Minimally Invasive Thoracic Program at all units of Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad.
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Established 3 Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery Units (VATS & Robotic Programs):
- VATS Unit at SCTIMST, Trivandrum (2011)
- Minimally Invasive and Robotic Unit, Amrita Institute (2014)
- Minimally Invasive and Robotic Unit, Yashoda Hospitals (2019)
- Started the first IACTS Accredited VATS Fellowship Program in India.
- Faculty for various National and International VATS and Robotic Training Programmes, including the prestigious Asian Thoracoscopic Educational Program (ATEP-2016, 2017 & 2018).
- Performed more than 3500 Thoracic Procedures, 2500 Video-Assisted Thoracic Procedures & 300 Robotic Thoracic Procedures with experience on the Da Vinci Si & Xi Robots.
- Established the first Robotic Thoracic Surgery Unit in Kerala at AIMS, Kochi, and performed the state’s first Robotic Thoracic Procedure in 2016.
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Academic Course Coordinator for National VATS and Robotic Workshops:
- Cadaveric VATS Workshop 2016, Amrita Hospital
- Ethicon VATS Workshop 2017, Ethicon Institute, Chennai
- Ethicon VATS Workshop 2018, Ethicon Institute, Chennai
- Medtronic PACE VATS Workshop 2022, Hyderabad
- VATS & Robotic Workshop, Bronchocon 2023, Hyderabad
- IACTS VATS Fellowship Program, Yashoda Hospital, Secunderabad
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Academic Lectures (in 2023):
- Anterior Cricoid Split for Tracheal Lumen Augmentation in Subglottic Tracheal Stenosis, Laryngotracheal Conference, Vienna, Austria, March 2023
- Surgical Fixation of Non-Flail Rib Fractures, IACTSCON, Coimbatore, Feb 2023
- Left Lobar Torsion-Predisposing Factors and Preventive Strategies, IACTSCON, Coimbatore, Feb 2023
- Video Presentation - Surgical Technique: Anterior Cricoid Split for Tracheal Lumen Augmentation in Subglottic Tracheal Stenosis, IACTSCON, Coimbatore, Feb 2023
- Robotic Lobectomy-Lung Cancer Evolving Paradigms, Hyderabad, Feb 2023
- VATS Surgical Procedures - Rarer Indications, VATS Workshop: Bronchocon 2023, Hyderabad
- Robotic Lobectomy: How I do it - Robotic Workshop, Bronchocon 2023, Hyderabad
- Surgical Proctor, VATS Live Surgery Workshop, Chest Hospital, Hyderabad, Jan 2023
Research & Publications
Academic Research:
- (2015–2019) Electrospun small diameter vascular graft development – Animal experiments on abdominal aorta in rabbits [Animal Lab Research Activity]
- (2015–2016) Pericardial valve development for percutaneous implantation in post-intracardiac repair tetralogy patients with pulmonary regurgitation [Animal Lab Research Activity]
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