About Dr. Dominic Emerson,
Heart Surgeon

"I had known for three years that I had aortic stenosis. When I suddenly started feeling fatigued and was getting headaches, my heart scan showed that it was time for surgery. Then someone suggested Dr. Dominic Emerson at Cedars. My research showed that he has done hundreds of valve cases, has a great educational background, and has published many articles.

Meeting Dr. Emerson was a pleasure. I liked his pleasant vibe and manner of speaking — while being direct at the same time. He also made clear that this would be the very first robotic assisted aortic valve replacement ever performed at Cedars. Any trepidation I had about that was offset by the confidence I had in the highly regarded Cedars team.

Dr. Emerson would also be joined by Dr. Joanna Chikwe, the Department Chair, and a globally respected scholar in cardiac surgery. Most of all, I was impressed by his pioneer spirit in being willing to develop new minimally invasive procedures to help patients experience less pain and faster healing times. My entire experience at Cedars was excellent – from the onboarding process to the fantastic care I received from the nurses. One nurse who was especially great was Kai Feng, who helped me take my first walk within 24 hours after surgery. Kai made sure that all my needs were met, including arranging for a scan related to another diagnosis.

Dr. Emerson and Dr. Chikwe both visited after surgery. The entire team was incredibly professional and efficient with well-coordinated parts. I am happy to speak about how wonderful the experience was to anyone. Through it all, even though the level of care is world class, Dr. Emerson and Dr. Chikwe seemed to have no ego and are just happy being themselves. The are truly "in it" for the patient.

I am a religious pastor knows how to recognize people devoted to a mission. I recommend Dr. Emerson, Dr. Chikwe, and their entire care team absolutely. They are at the top of their field, and they'll leave you feeling on top, as well!"

"Having sepsis is tough. It's hard to describe how I felt. Sepsis – an infection of the blood stream affecting my entire body - was a new experience. I was feeling funny and out of sorts. I was always feeling tired and resting a lot. Yet, my sleeping and eating were both off. I had a kidney transplant 8 years before and was experiencing organ rejection.

My nephrologist took all types of X-rays and MRI's. That's when he said I needed surgery on both my aortic and mitral valves and had me see Dr. Laura DiChiacchio, a surgeon who could help. Dr. DiChiacchio is cool. She is more informative than most surgeons and made me feel that she could do my surgery. The first thing she cured was my stress and I came away feeling comfortable. She made me realize that surgery could change how I felt. Right after surgery, of course, you feel icky. But after a week, I started feeling a whole lot better. I kept walking just a bit farther each day. I got a lot of rest and was able to relax and just like Dr. DiChiacchio said, I started to feel strong again.

I later learned that Dr. Emerson did my mitral valve, and he did great work, too. I'm still waiting for another kidney transplant. But my heart problems are gone. All the surgery I've had in my life has taught me what matters in a surgeon. I need a surgeon who sees me as a whole person. Some surgeons just look at you with dollar signs in their eyes. But Dr. DiChiacchio looks at me and just has me in her eyes. She made me feel that it is me who matters. She gave me the confidence that she would do good work – and she did. I can't recommend any surgeon more than that."

"Dr. Emerson was fantastic! Friendly and easy bedside manner. Very comfortable to be with, answered my questions, and you truly felt cared for, not only in pre-surgical appointments, but also directly after surgery and post-surgical appointments.

A gifted surgeon! I couldn't have been in better hands or felt more comfortable and confident in his abilities. Professional, knowledgeable, experienced, likable, personable. You're in excellent hands with Dr. Emerson for any type of heart surgery!"

"Considering that I'm nearly 40-years-old and had open-heart surgery four months ago, I feel great. If I had to do it [a Ross Procedure performed by Dominic Emerson] over again, I wouldn't think twice about choosing Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

He's a rockstar in my eyes and Tammi Groom put me at ease the moment I met her. The ICU Critical Care Nurses hustled around the clock and I got to go home on the fifth day. I'm not convinced I could've received better care."

"At first I thought it was pneumonia. But then tests revealed some new things. My trouble breathing was from a leaky aortic valve that wasn't forwarding enough oxygenated blood into my body. Also alarming – I had an aortic aneurysm which, if it ruptured, could cause me to bleed to death within minutes. My cardiologist in Washington put me on meds.

Then, when I moved down to Arizona, my new cardiologist said, "we have a problem here that we need to take care of." Wanting a second opinion, I went to Cedars-Sinai where diagnoses, surgeries, and opinions are of the highest order. Dr. Dominick Megna confirmed that it was, indeed, time for surgery. But when on the day of surgery Dr. Megna was in a lung transplant, his colleague, Dr. Dominic Emerson, who had just finished a heart transplant was – amazingly – all ready to go with my surgery! So, I never met Dr. Emerson until the day of my surgery. But I had a lot of trust in Cedars and felt that any surgeon on their team could be trusted.

Speaking with Dr. Emerson briefly before surgery assured me. When I awoke after surgery, Dr. Emerson told me that my aortic tissue was extremely thin. Recovery was rough. I had a cough for eleven days, and with my chest wired shut, coughing hurt. But the doctors and nurses were wonderful. When I called at 5:30 on a Sunday morning, a doctor answered and recommended Sudafed to control my cough. The nurses were also amazing. When one of them went to lunch, they would always come into my room to introduce their backup coverage.

Every single nurse was outstanding and I wish I could have written down all their names. Medical management is outstanding at Cedars. Whenever I had a test, I was always notified of the results and what I should do next. A year later, I'm using the pool, working in the yard, and enjoying my carpentry. My wife sees me going about the things I enjoy, and she credits Dr. Emerson for saving my life.

I could write a book about Dr. Emerson and his team. But since you may not have time to read a book — if you'll just take this paragraph as my recommendation of Dr. Emerson — I guarantee it will serve you well!"

"It's now been exactly 3 weeks since I had open heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai. I'd had aortic stenosis and an underperforming aortic valve for years (aka – Bicuspid Aortic Valve). This had also contributed to a dangerous aneurysm in my ascending aorta carrying blood away from my heart. Around 16 months before we uncovered the valve issues, I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure.

Back then, I was morbidly obese (around 310 lbs at 5'11"), a 20-year smoker, hardly ever exercised, and ate as much fast food as humanly possible. Over that 16-month period, I lost nearly 150 pounds, quit smoking, exercised daily, and started eating a heart-healthy diet. Things seemed to be getting better, but some 6 weeks before surgery, my heart failure symptoms (shortness of breath, chest pain, and edema/swelling) had returned. That's when a CT scan discovered my Bicuspid Aortic Valve and that the aneurysm had grown to 5 centimeters – the danger zone. I needed surgery — fast. And Dr. Emerson and his team took care of me. Thinking back, not a day has gone by where I haven't thought about the dozens of people that worked so hard to help save my life. Suffice to say that I've spent a lot of time thinking about what to say and write. Dr. Emerson and the surgical team saved my life by fixing what was broken with my heart.

Dr. Emerson - the man – the myth – the legend. During my initial meeting with Dr. Jad Malas, he introduced Dr. Emerson as my surgeon. I then went on to read everything I could about Dr. Emerson. Where he went to school. How long he'd been practicing. I read everything I could find about him and watched all the YouTube videos he's featured on. When Dr. Emerson walked into my hospital room the week before surgery, I felt like I was meeting a celebrity. I had spent most of the last 24 hours learning about him and the Ross Procedure.

Dr. Emerson took the time to answer all my questions during that first meeting, and every subsequent meeting we had. I knew he was my kind of guy from that first meeting, when I asked him how serious my condition was, and how long I could wait before surgery. He calmly explained that he didn't advise me to wait months or weeks. He rightly sensed that I had some trepidation. When he suggested surgery on Thursday, February 13, I countered with Friday, February 14. My logic: getting a "new heart" on Valentine's Day would make for a much cooler story! Dr. Emerson laughed, but quickly said delaying it a day should be fine and agreed that it would make for a better story. I thought, "yep, my kind of guy." Then, on the morning of the surgery, Dr. Emerson walked in and said, "hey guy" and had this incredible amount of confidence that really consoled me.

Then, in an instant, his confidence turned into compassion when he put his hand my shoulder. I'll never forget when he said many people usually apologize to him at that moment – but that I have nothing to apologize for. It was perfectly ok for me to be scared. And while a lot of people are comforted by being told that these surgeries are "normal," I, for one, did not feel that way. Dr. Emerson understood my feelings and so he added, "nothing about what was going to happen to me that day was normal."

Those words were tremendously helpful, especially since every person I spoke to, including every article and blog that I read, and YouTube video I watched over the previous 7-8 days explained that "It's normal. It's routine. They do a million of these a year." But again, to me – the patient – nothing about it was routine or normal. That was my own perspective and those were my feelings. So, it was refreshing to hear that the man about to do the surgery had empathy for me. He then explained that there will be a dozen or so people in that room making sure I do ok, and that I shouldn't worry – so, I didn't. Thank you, Dr. Emerson!

There were other members of Dr. Emerson's team that were also tremendously helpful. One was his co-surgeon, the internationally renowned Dr. Trento, who has trained surgeons for decades, including Dr. Emerson and Dr. Malas. Dr. Jad Malas spent a lot of time with me. He wanted me to know that I had 3 options, (1) Bio-prosthetic valve, (2) Mechanical valve, or (3) the Ross Procedure. In the preceding 24-hours, I spent almost all my time reading about options 1 and 2, and never once came across anything about the Ross Procedure.

At the end of our meeting, Dr. Malas advised that I start including it in my research, and then come to him and Dr. Emerson with any and all questions I might have. And before he was out of my line of sight, I was already on my phone researching the Ross Procedure. I liked the idea of the Ross procedure because it meant that my aortic valve could be replaced by my own pulmonary valve – which is my own tissue. The pulmonary valve is then replaced by a donor valve, most often from a deceased person, meaning that the repair can last decades longer. It also means that my ascending aorta, which needs to be removed due to the aneurysm, can be replaced with my own pulmonary trunk, which is also connected to my pulmonary valve.

Dr. Emerson explained to me that having my aortic valve replaced with my own tissue means that the repairs could last for forty years – as opposed to just fifteen years with an animal valve - which is tremendously helpful to a younger patient, like me. Throughout all my deliberations about this, Dr. Malas was there for my questions. And after surgery, Dr. Malas was the guy keeping me updated by visiting me every morning in the ICU and continuing to answer all my questions. Thank you, Dr. Malas!

And several of the nurses in the ICU were constantly thinking of me. A special shout out to Giovanni Acorda; Yasmin Faggin; Hyun Yoon; Laurina Call; and Dionisio Sabayan – you were all awesome and really did me a solid! They were all so great to me that I actually hated having to say good-bye to them when it was time to go to the step-down unit. But this meant I was getting ready to go home. And when I got to the step-down unit, nurses like Victor Flores and Tracy Kinell were constantly taking care of me - giving me medicine, swapping out bags, and pumping me with different fluids. I think I made it a bit of a long night for them, but I slept through most of it because of a new pain medicine that they gave me. And then there was Abbygail Chavez-Gonzalez and Lauren Auerbach, who took me for my last hospital walk, explained what I could and could not do once I got home, and even got me a second heart pillow once I got home because I had lost my first one. No need of mine – large or small – got past these nurses. All of them were incredible. I thank them all.

I also have to say "thank-you" to Dr. Emerson's scheduler, Mary Alvarado. Mary was my lifeline to Dr. Emerson. There were times I called and emailed her 3 or 4 times a day. Heck, I even remember emailing her just to let her know I was going to call her. Yeah, I turned into "that guy" during those 2 weeks. Not once did she forget to call me back. Not once was there an email that didn't get answered. Mary handled my insurance approvals, and all the crazy volumes of forms that needed to get completed and distributed. She kept me in the loop through every step of a complex maze. Because of Mary, what could have been a complicated, stressful situation with all the appointment making and insurance approvals all became smooth and easy. Mary being in charge of all of that meant that I could focus my attention on just my medical issues without worrying about making all the arrangements. So, I special big thank you to Mary! She saved me more stress than I can imagine!

All I can say is wow! Dr. Emerson, the other doctors, the ICU and step-down unit nursing teams, and their scheduler – what an amazing team! I came in feeling unsure and scared. But they talked to me, answered my questions, and got me through it. Dr. Emerson and his team really did me a solid – and if you ever need them – they'll make you feel that way, too!"

"I am so blessed to have had Dr. Dominic Emerson perform my robotic mitral valve repair. He was very kind and caring, the absolute best bedside manner. My surgery was a complete surprise a week before Christmas and had to be done immediately.

I had met with a cardiologist earlier that day and then ended up at Cedars with Dr. Emerson. With no time to do major research, he very knowledgeably answered all my questions and gave me my options. He put a very scared lady completely at ease. I was blessed to end up in his hands as the next day he left with his family for the holidays.

Thank you Dr. Emerson, my cardiologist said you did a fantastic job!! I feel great and I'm only taking a baby aspirin once a week!"

"Dr. Emerson was patient and thorough when describing the procedure. He obviously does a great deal of robotically heart procedures and did a fantastic job. He also has a kind "bedside manner". Simply a wonderful experience."

"My surgeon, Dr. Emerson, is a great surgeon. He repaired my mitral valve successfully! I was in good hands all around!

I had a minimally-invasive robotic surgery! I was discharged from Cedars-Sinai on the 3rd day and I was good to go. The whole team was great! He's very professional and experienced!"

"I build race cars, so having fun means everything. If you've seen movies like "Fast and Furious" and "Ford v. Ferrari," then you've seen my cars in action.

One day, when I was making a commercial for the 75th Anniversary of NASCAR, I felt out-of-breath. My son, who works with me, said "Dad, you're white as a ghost." Suddenly, I needed my asthma inhaler constantly. When my first cardiologist wasn't aggressive enough, my wife - a stunt driver who takes no risks in real life – found me another. My aortic valve wasn't allowing enough oxygenated blood into my body, and I looked grim. Scans showed that I also had an aneurysm, and it was serious.

I was immediately referred to Dr. Dominic Emerson at Cedars. Dr. Emerson saw me on a Thursday, and surgery was the following Tuesday. He has the best bedside manner. Dr. Emerson calmly looked me in the eye and told me that my surgery would be complex and hard, but that he would "fix it." He gave me the intuitive sense that he "had this." As a mechanic, that resonated and calmed me. Then, when I awoke after surgery, I felt different IMMEDIATELY. My blood was carrying more oxygen, and I even had more energy just lying in bed!

Within a few months, my wife noticed that I had more hair and longer nails. An ulcer on my foot also disappeared. I build cars for a lot of action films with a lot of heroes. But two years later, my real hero is Dr. Emerson. I have two sons and another young friend who is like a third son. One of my sons is on the race team for the Olympics. Seeing the smiles on sons' faces when they love cars and racing like I do is all I live for.

I'm lucky that I get to do for a living what I loved as a kid – and to do it with my kids. Dr. Emerson gave me another lifetime of fun. And I can't think of a better recommendation than that!"

"My story is a miracle in two parts with two heart surgeries in eleven days. It began when I was being evaluated for a cosmetic procedure near my home in Colorado and the nurse heard a roaring murmur through her stethoscope. I had always had a slight murmur, but she insisted upon clearance by a cardiologist.

Little did I know that it was her persistence that began me on the path that saved my life. While scans revealed that a pre-existing aortic aneurysm was not rupturing, there was a new problem: I had mitral valve prolapse, a condition that was failing to circulate a considerable amount of blood throughout my body. Surgery was required. When my cardiologist suggested Mayo and Cedars-Sinai, I found cardiologist Dr. Raj Makkar at Cedars, who's performed more minimally invasive heart valve procedures than any other doctor in the U.S.

The thought that I could avoid open surgery and have my valve repaired by a catheter was exciting. However, to get the transcatheter procedure, one must be randomly selected for a trial. If not, I could still have my mitral valve repaired robotically, which is still a less invasive surgery through a small hole instead of a split sternum. For that reason, Dr. Dominic Emerson, a heart surgeon, had to meet me with Dr. Makkar to explain how robotic surgery works in case I wasn't randomly selected for the transcatheter procedure. And sure enough, I was not randomly selected for the transcatheter approach and was destined to have the robotic mitral repair.

From then on, my robotic mitral repair surgery with Dr. Emerson went smoothly. His youthful looks cannot mask his considerable experience and knowledge. Dr. Emerson made me feel comfortable as he answered all my questions calmly and gently. When I unexpectedly got COVID during recovery, the entire clinical team helped me through it with care and professionalism. Just ten days after surgery, it appeared that I was ready to go home.

Dr. Emerson had done his job beautifully. I recommend him totally. But just as I was having my final scan to clear me for discharge, a new problem appeared. This would lead to my second surgery and part two of my story. I'll share that story under the profiles of the two surgeons who performed my second surgery: Dr. Dominick Megna and Dr. Pedro Catarino."

"My surgery was on March 1, 2023 at Cedar-Sinai in Los Angeles. My surgeon was Dr. Joanna Chikwe and assisted by Dr. Dominic Emerson. They performed a mitral valve repair with robotic mini thoracotomy. Today, I am post op 15 days (2 weeks) and doing great. My stay in the hospital was 5 days and I experienced no complications from the surgery during my stay. My surgery went very smooth.

Before my surgery, my regurgitation was severe with symptoms of shortness of breath, chest pain and extreme fatigue. Now, my regurgitation is "trivial" with no signs or symptoms of shortness of breath, chest pain and my energy level is incredible.

My friends and family tell me I look great and sound great. They can tell a big difference in my voice when speaking, no gasping for oxygen as I spoke. I never realized I had this, as this came on gradually and I chalked up to getting older. Now as I climb the stairs in my house and do chores, I have so much energy."

"Dr. Emerson was friendly and concerned from the get-go. My wife found good remarks about him when she looked him up. He has a great bedside manner and treated me really good.

Dr. Emerson is a heartfelt guy who answered all my questions, took care of my needs and the surgery went really well. The follow up appointments also went well. Dr. Emerson is a great doctor. Going into this, I was scared and thought I would be a mess after. I was tired going into it and could barely stay awake. My family has a history of cancer and I thought it was cancer. But when I saw my doctor, the scan showed the aneurysm. I was scared. My wife researched who to talk to and another friend who is a doctor recommended Dr. Emerson and Dr. Trento.

Dr. Emerson was available and saw me right away. I thought it was amazing that he was calm and patient and answered all of my questions just when he had finished an eight hour surgery! He is young, but also has plenty of experience. He did a great job and I feel really good. He also saw to it that my disability paperwork was taken care of fast. It was a huge surgery and nothing went wrong.

Dr. Emerson is a great surgeon who saved my life. All the nurses and staff at Cedars were friendly and helpful. I feel great now and all my symptoms are gone. I've already recommended him to others, and I recommend Dr. Emerson to anyone who needs a heart surgeon. I never thought I would feel so good after heart surgery!"