About Douglas Johnston, MD

Douglas Johnston, MD, is a staff cardiac surgeon in the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery

Specialty interests: Minimally invasive aortic valve surgery, management of patients with bicuspid aortic valve disease, reoperative valve surgery, aortic root surgery, aortic aneurysm surgery, hybrid aortic operations, radiation-induced heart disease, constrictive pericarditis, long-term outcomes after bioprosthetic valve replacement

Number of Procedures Performed: Cleveland Clinic performs more than 4,000 heart surgeries each year. All Cleveland Clinic cardiac surgeons complete between 300-400 cardiac cases per year.

Success rates: Among top U.S. hospitals for cardiac surgery, Cleveland Clinic’s volume is the highest with the best quality outcomes. You can view success rates for specific procedures at http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/about-heart-vascular-institute/treatment-outcomes.aspx

Education and Training: A native of Connecticut, Dr. Johnston attended Dartmouth College. He was a Presidential Scholar and earned his degree in Anthropology and Classical studies with Honor and Distinction. While studying, he researched tuberculosis in the field at refugee communities in India. Dr. Johnston completed his medical education at Harvard Medical School, where he was a Harvard National Scholar.

Dr. Johnston completed his clinical training as an intern and resident in general surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He was awarded the Edward D. Churchill Fellowship, the American College of Surgeons Resident Research Scholarship, and an NIH National Research Service Award for his research in the immunology of heart and lung transplantation. 

Dr. Johnston completed his training in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Cleveland Clinic, including a focused fellowship in endovascular surgery and additional training in advanced 3-dimensional imaging techniques. He joined the cardiac surgery staff in 2008.

Publications and Speaking: Dr. Johnston has written numerous articles and abstracts published in leading scientific journals. His research interests include minimally invasive aortic valve surgery and interventions, complex valve disease (including radiation heart disease and aortic disease), and transcatheter interventions for valvular heart disease. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation, the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, and the Society of Cardiac Computed Tomography.

About Dr. Johnston: “What I love about heart surgery is that every day we have the ability to make a major difference in people’s lives. Every patient has different needs and wants, and having heart surgery means very different things. For one patient, the goal may be living longer to be around for their grandchildren. For another, it might be feeling healthy enough to get on their mountain bike again. We need to understand what our patients’ needs are and be able to give them the safest, best operation that gets them back to the life THEY want to lead. That’s what keeps me coming to work every morning.”

Leisure time activities: Dr. Johnston is an avid outdoorsman. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and sailing with his family.

Call 216.444.5613

Treatment & Services

• Adult Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Advanced Ischemic Heart Disease Center
• Aorta Center
• Aorta Graft
• Aorta Surgery
• Aortic Dissection
• Aortic Valve Repair
• Aortic Valve Replacement
• Aortic Valve Surgery
• Arterial Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts

Specialty in Diseases & Conditions

• Acquired Adult Cardiac Disease
• Acquired Valve Disease
• Aneurysms
• Aorta Disease
• Aortic Aneurysms
• Aortic Insufficiency
• Aortic Regurgitation
• Aortic Stenosis
• Aortic Valve Disease
• Aortic Valve Regurgitation

Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/staff/8887-douglas-johnston