Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale, chief of the group is working as Director, Heart and Lung Transplantation Program and as Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic and Minimal Access Surgeon in Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.

Dr Gokhale, a noted name among the medical fraternity in general and cardiothoracic surgeons the world over in particular, has had the distinction of performing India's first heart-kidney combined transplant. He is one of the very few surgeons in the world who did heterotopic heart transplant (piggy-back heart transplant).

Dr Gokhale did the 1st successful heart transplant, first successful lung transplant and first double lung transplant and 1st successful implantation of temporary ventricular assist device in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He has one of the largest experiences in minimally invasive heart surgery in India. So far he did more than 16,000 plus open heart surgeries - adult as well as pediatric.

Renowned for offering value-added services and exceeding customer expectations, this team has emerged as a beacon of hope for all those suffering from cardiac, lung or vascular problems especially for those with advanced diseases like extensive coronary artery disease, end-stage heart and lung disorders and for those looking for minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery(small incision heart surgery).

This team has mastered the art and science of breathing new life into the terminally ill because of its unrelenting stress on excellence and innovation. It has few rivals in its blend of qualifications, skills, competencies and rich experience.

Dr. Gokhale CT Associates has distinguished itself in performing minimally invasive heart surgery and endoscopic vein harvesting (EVH) for bypass surgery. They have one of the largest experiences in this area in India and trained many heart surgeons in India and abroad. Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery is performed through a small 6-8cm incision on the right side of the chest below nipple. It is cosmetic and it doesn't require the regular 20-25cm long cut on the front of the chest and splitting of breast bone. Similarly for patients needing multiple bypasses, minimally invasive bypass surgery is done through a small incision on the left side of the chest. Patients recover fast with less pain and can go back to work in 3 weeks time. EVH requires one to three small incisions, each less than 1 inch in length, in the thigh, in contrast to the traditional method, which requires a lengthy incision in the leg. EVH helps patients recover faster and also avoids a long scar with less chances of infection and delayed healing.