Dr M M Yusuf
Consultant Cardiac Surgeon
Leading this change is Dr MM Yusuf, a found and visionary of robotic cardiac surgeon. As the first robotic heart surgeon of India, he has transformed what’s possible in heart surgeries by popularizing methods that are less painful, extremely accurate, and quick to recover. With his presence based at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, Dr Yusuf feels that people should be served by technology, but not substituted for by it, in healing.
“Each patient is someone’s loved one, a father, mother, sibling, or spouse. We have to treat them as our own”, he stated. His approach blends advanced technology with compassionate, patient-centered values, and he’s an unusual and admired exception to an extremely technical field.
World-Class Education & Purpose-Led Practice
Dr MM Yusuf graduated with MBBS from Stanley Medical College, Chennai, a top government college. After qualification, he shifted to the United Kingdom to undertake surgical training, where he gained the Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons(FRCS)from both Edinburgh and Glasgow. He subsequently specialized in cardiothoracic surgery, a very competitive specialty, by undertaking intense training and gaining the FRCS in cardiothoracic surgery. During this time in the UK, he trained at prestigious hospitals, such as St, Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff and Bristol Heart Institute.
As minimally invasive surgery started surfacing while he was still in training, Dr Yusuf became increasingly interested in less traumatic cardiac procedures. But his decision to specialize in this field wasn’t professional, it was personal. Having graduated from a government college on merit, he and his wife (also a merit student and lawyer) strongly believed in giving back to India. Keeping this in mind, he applied for international fellowships and learned under world-class cardiac surgeons in Belgium, including Dr Hugo Vanerman, a Founder of mitral valve surgery, and Dr Frank Van Praet, an expert in robotic bypass procedures. The exposure to robot cardiac surgery over this period of time went to mold the subsequent
decade of his research and work. He also undertook fellowships in beating heart surgery, complex aortic procedures, and valve repair and gained extensive, detailed skills which provided a good foundation for his future in Cardiac surgery in India.
When he returned to the UK, Dr Yusuf worked at the leading King’s College, Hospital, London, before returning back to India after about 20 years of training and work in the UK and Europe. He came back to Chennai 10 years ago, initially working at Global Hospital, then at Apollo Hospitals, where he set up the robotic cardiac surgery program in 2019, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collaborative Care & Technological Leadership
He frequently repeats, “Cardiac surgery is never a solo act, it is a symphony”. At Apollo, he commands a highly skilled, coordinated team of cardiologists, anesthetists, perfusionists, surgical assistants, nurses, and ICU staff. All are critical players, particularly in the delicate postoperative period where surveillance and comfort are paramount. He also has a follow-up team consisting of nurse coordinators and physician assistants who remain in contact with patients even after discharge, making sure that recovery goes on smoothly at home. Patients are enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation, and annual reviews are planned for long-term health monitoring.
One of Dr Yusuf’s signatures is his early and aggressive technology adoption. Beginning with robotic single-vessel bypasses, he has moved on to sophisticated multiverse procedures, and 80–90 percent of his bypass operations are now robotic. Robotic assistance overall is utilized in three out of every four surgeries performed by him.
The benefit of robotic cardiac surgery, he describes, is in bypassing the chest bone incision, which is standard in conventional open-heart surgery. Rather, tiny key hole cuts are made less than a centimeter wide for robotic arms and a 15x magnified 3D camera to conduct the procedure with unprecedented precision. The instruments, with a 360-degree rotation capacity, provide increased flexibility and visibility, rendering the surgery safer, less painful, and much more effective. Patients leave the hospital within 2–4 days and resume normal activity in less than a month, with very little scarring and virtually zero infection risk.
Initially, patients and peers resisted due to cost and novelty concerns regarding robotic surgery. The initial 100 cases took almost three years. But as outcomes spoke for themselves, confidence increased. With media relations, fixed pricing packages, and increasing awareness, robotic surgery is now increasingly accepted, with more than 600 procedures done in the past six years, including almost 200 in the past year alone.
Future Vision
Dr Yusuf’s vision for the future is increasing access, making procedures simpler, and increasing surgical capacity globally. He is also actively engaged in establishing simulation laboratories and cadaver-based training centers all over India to train junior surgeons in robotic surgery. His research work continues through the publication of research papers, presenting papers at international conferences, and working on new robotic devices intended to simplify surgery, make it safer, and more accessible.
He also intends to expand his robotic surgery training to Southeast Asia, where there is increasing demand for trained robotic surgeons. With improvement in AI technology and tele-surgery, his vision is a future where distant surgeries are the norm, accessing quality cardiac facilities to underserved areas. His belief is that innovation must benefit the greater good. His long-term vision is to democratize robotic heart surgery, such that geography or cost never constrains a patient’s access to the finest possible care.
Awards & Recognition:
•Professional Membership - Indian Association of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Cardiology Society of India & International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
•Fellowship (Off Pump/Beating Heart Surgery)- Bristol Heart Institute, Bristol, UK 2012
•Fellowship (Minimally Invasive & Robotic Cardiac Surgery) - OLV Hospital, Aalst. Belgium 2013
•Higher Surgical Training in Cardiothoracic Surgery- London Chest Hospital, London & St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London
When he returned to the UK, Dr Yusuf worked at the leading King’s College, Hospital, London, before returning back to India after about 20 years of training and work in the UK and Europe. He came back to Chennai 10 years ago, initially working at Global Hospital, then at Apollo Hospitals, where he set up the robotic cardiac surgery program in 2019, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collaborative Care & Technological Leadership
He frequently repeats, “Cardiac surgery is never a solo act, it is a symphony”. At Apollo, he commands a highly skilled, coordinated team of cardiologists, anesthetists, perfusionists, surgical assistants, nurses, and ICU staff. All are critical players, particularly in the delicate postoperative period where surveillance and comfort are paramount. He also has a follow-up team consisting of nurse coordinators and physician assistants who remain in contact with patients even after discharge, making sure that recovery goes on smoothly at home. Patients are enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation, and annual reviews are planned for long-term health monitoring.
One of Dr Yusuf’s signatures is his early and aggressive technology adoption. Beginning with robotic single-vessel bypasses, he has moved on to sophisticated multiverse procedures, and 80–90 percent of his bypass operations are now robotic. Robotic assistance overall is utilized in three out of every four surgeries performed by him.
The benefit of robotic cardiac surgery, he describes, is in bypassing the chest bone incision, which is standard in conventional open-heart surgery. Rather, tiny key hole cuts are made less than a centimeter wide for robotic arms and a 15x magnified 3D camera to conduct the procedure with unprecedented precision. The instruments, with a 360-degree rotation capacity, provide increased flexibility and visibility, rendering the surgery safer, less painful, and much more effective. Patients leave the hospital within 2–4 days and resume normal activity in less than a month, with very little scarring and virtually zero infection risk.
Initially, patients and peers resisted due to cost and novelty concerns regarding robotic surgery. The initial 100 cases took almost three years. But as outcomes spoke for themselves, confidence increased. With media relations, fixed pricing packages, and increasing awareness, robotic surgery is now increasingly accepted, with more than 600 procedures done in the past six years, including almost 200 in the past year alone.
Future Vision
Dr Yusuf’s vision for the future is increasing access, making procedures simpler, and increasing surgical capacity globally. He is also actively engaged in establishing simulation laboratories and cadaver-based training centers all over India to train junior surgeons in robotic surgery. His research work continues through the publication of research papers, presenting papers at international conferences, and working on new robotic devices intended to simplify surgery, make it safer, and more accessible.
He also intends to expand his robotic surgery training to Southeast Asia, where there is increasing demand for trained robotic surgeons. With improvement in AI technology and tele-surgery, his vision is a future where distant surgeries are the norm, accessing quality cardiac facilities to underserved areas. His belief is that innovation must benefit the greater good. His long-term vision is to democratize robotic heart surgery, such that geography or cost never constrains a patient’s access to the finest possible care.
Awards & Recognition:
•Professional Membership - Indian Association of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Cardiology Society of India & International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
•Fellowship (Off Pump/Beating Heart Surgery)- Bristol Heart Institute, Bristol, UK 2012
•Fellowship (Minimally Invasive & Robotic Cardiac Surgery) - OLV Hospital, Aalst. Belgium 2013
•Higher Surgical Training in Cardiothoracic Surgery- London Chest Hospital, London & St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London
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