Dr. Naresh Trehan

Dr. Naresh Trehan is one of the world's most distinguished cardiovascular surgeons and the founder and Chairman and Managing Director of Medanta - The Medicity in Gurugram, Haryana — one of Asia's largest and most sophisticated multi-specialty hospitals. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Dr. Trehan has performed over 48,000 open-heart surgeries and is widely credited with transforming cardiac surgery standards in India.

After completing his surgical training in India, Dr. Trehan moved to the United States where he trained under the legendary Dr. Frank Spencer at NYU Medical Center. He rose to become Chief of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at NYU and earned international recognition before returning to India in 1988 to found the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre in New Delhi — India's first dedicated heart hospital. In 2009, he founded Medanta - The Medicity, which has become a landmark for both domestic and international patients.

Dr. Trehan's clinical philosophy centres on marrying the highest standards of Western surgical training with accessibility for Indian and South Asian patients. He has been a vocal advocate for expanding cardiac surgery capacity across India and plays an active role in mentoring the next generation of cardiovascular surgeons. His practice attracts complex cases from across South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.

Dr. Trehan completed his MBBS and MS (General Surgery) at King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow, one of India's most prestigious medical institutions. He was awarded the MCh in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in India before travelling to the United States for advanced fellowship training.

At NYU Medical Center in New York, he trained under Professor Frank C. Spencer, a pioneer of cardiac surgery in America. Dr. Trehan subsequently rose through the faculty ranks at NYU to become Director of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery — a remarkable achievement for an Indian surgeon at one of America's leading academic medical centres. He holds the FACS (Fellow of the American College of Surgeons) and FETCS (Fellow of the European Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons) designations, reflecting his internationally recognised surgical competence.

Dr. Trehan's primary area of expertise is coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), including off-pump and minimally invasive approaches. He has been a pioneer in promoting beating-heart (off-pump) CABG in India, reducing operative risk and improving recovery times for patients with complex multivessel coronary disease.

His surgical portfolio encompasses the full range of adult cardiac surgery: valve repair and replacement (mitral, aortic, tricuspid), thoracic aortic aneurysm repair, atrial fibrillation surgery, and heart transplantation. Medanta operates one of India's most active heart transplant programs under his leadership. Dr. Trehan has also introduced robotic cardiac surgery at Medanta, enabling precise, less invasive procedures for selected patients requiring valve repair or CABG.

Medanta - The Medicity is one of India's most internationally recognised hospitals, holding JCI accreditation and receiving patients from over 120 countries annually. Dr. Trehan's practice attracts particularly high volumes from the Middle East, East Africa, Bangladesh, and Central Asia — regions where complex cardiac surgery capacity is limited.

The hospital maintains a dedicated International Patients Division that provides end-to-end coordination including visa invitation letters, airport assistance, accommodation, telemedicine pre-consultation, and post-discharge remote follow-up. Dr. Trehan and his team conduct video consultations for international patients who wish to discuss their cardiac workup before travelling. All costs are substantially lower than equivalent care in Western countries, making Medanta a leading global destination for cardiac surgery.

Dr. Naresh Trehan has received some of India's highest civilian honours: the Padma Shri (1991), Padma Bhushan (2001), and Padma Vibhushan (2019) — the nation's second-highest civilian award. He has received honorary doctorates from multiple Indian universities and international institutions.

He has served as Personal Physician to multiple Heads of State and has advised on health policy at the national level in India. He is the recipient of numerous surgical excellence awards from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American Association for Thoracic Surgery and has been consistently ranked among India's top cardiac surgeons. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Medical Association.