Dr. Ergin Kocyildirim is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Kocyildirim did his medical training and obtained his MD from Ankara University Medical School in 1996. After completing his residency in Cardiovascular Surgery, he became a specialist in 2002 and did additional post-graduate study at the Institute of Child Health, University College London. Following that work, Dr. Kocyildirim completed his Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery training at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK.

He specialized in intra-operative imaging of the pediatric cardiac surgery and the use of images in creating a better understanding for the families of children with congenital heart defects and health professionals. He also studied the slide tracheoplasty technique in long-segment congenital tracheal stenosis and the application of cost-effectiveness analysis in the ICU with short- and mid-term results.

Currently, Dr. Kocyildirim is involved in several research projects within the McGowan Institute. His main research interest is improving the development of the pediatric size ventricular assist device. Other areas of interest include heart-lung transplantation, biocompatibility and development of short and midterm cardiopulmonary support systems as a bridge to cardiopulmonary transplantation, the use of video recordings of the operations, and the 3-D imaging of the heart, the use of arterio-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) in pulmonary hypertension, and the use of stem cells in combination with ECMO to reduce acute lung injury.

Dr. Kocyildirim and his team are involved in investigating the role of venous assist options in Fontan physiology. For this work, Dr. Kocyildirim and his colleagues developed several in vitro computational and experimental tools to predict and improve the hemodynamics of staged reconstructive surgeries, optimal assist device alternatives for failing Fontan circulation, and quantified the effect of total cavo-pulmonary connection pathway loss on cardiac output. Currently, he is the chair of Team Pittsburgh-Fontan Study Group and working on the use of external counter pulsation in failing Fontan patients.

View a list of Dr. Kocyildirim’s publications here.