Dr. Ronald Pellegrini, a board certified, fellowship-trained cardiothoracic surgeon has joined Conemaugh Physician Group – Cardiothoracic Surgery and is now part of the team treating patients at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center.
“This is an excellent program with great results,” says Dr. Pellegrini. “I look forward to being part of the team working to expand the capabilities of the program by providing new options for patients in need of mitral valve repair.”
Last year Conemaugh Memorial introduced the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) program which gives new hope to patients who were deemed too sick or too high risk for open heart surgery. “The TAVR program is one of only a little over 500 programs nationwide,” says Dr. Savas Mavridis, Medical Director of Cardiovascular Services and Chief Cardiac Surgeon at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center. “Now with Dr. Pellegrini onboard to offer guidance, we are excited to expand into mitral valve repair, another much needed service for our community.”
Dr. Pellegrini says his interest in mitral valve repair began early in his career. He brings great experience to Conemaugh Memorial’s program. “Many of my professional goals center around teaching,” says Dr. Pellegrini. “I am excited to work with Dr. Mavridis and Dr. Sherwal, to share my knowledge and experience. I anticipate great results for our patients.”
“There are many benefits to repairing the mitral valve rather than replacing it,” adds Dr. Pellegrini. “The long term results of valve repair are excellent. The procedure greatly impacts the function of the heart long term while lessening the risk of mortality and complications because an artificial valve is not needed.”
A graduate of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Dr. Pellegrini completed his internship and residency at Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh followed by a Fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at the University Hospital of Michigan in Ann Arbor. As a naval surgeon, Dr. Pellegrini spent two years stationed in Iceland. He also traveled extensively later in his career providing lectures and helping educate surgeons in many places including Russia, Iraq and Egypt. After settling in the Pittsburgh region, Dr. Pellegrini founded Three Rivers Cardiac Institute, Inc. He also served as Chief of Surgery at Mercy Hospital, Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery for UPMC Health Systems and as an attending physician at Allegheny Health Network/ Forbes.
For more information on Conemaugh, visit www.conemaugh.org.
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