Chief, Cardiovascular Medicine
Co-Director, Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute

Dr. Shyam K. Sathanandam is a globally recognized pediatric interventional cardiologist who serves as chief of Cardiovascular Medicine and co-director of the Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute. He earned his medical degree from Stanley Medical College in Chennai, India. Dr. Sathanandam completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at Madras Medical College in Chennai, followed by a pediatrics residency at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, New York. He went on to complete a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at Advocate Christ Medical Center/Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, and advanced training in pediatric interventional cardiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Sathanandam’s clinical interests focus on interventional cardiology for neonates and infants, particularly the closure of atrial septal defects (ASD), ventricular septal defects (VSD), and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in extremely premature and low-weight infants. He is also an expert in percutaneous pulmonary valve replacements in children and adults.

Dr. Sathanandam brings to Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute extensive experience in pediatric cardiology and interventional catheterization. Prior to joining Nicklaus Children’s in 2025, he served since 2017 as the director of the catheterization lab at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.  During this tenure, he was instrumental in strengthening the Pediatric Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology Program and also launched the International PDA Symposium in 2018, the first multispecialty global conference dedicated to advancing the management of PDA in preterm newborns.

A leader in pediatric cardiology research, Dr. Sathanandam has served as principal investigator on numerous national clinical trials, several of which have resulted in FDA approval of life-saving devices for newborns and infants. He has pioneered groundbreaking procedures, including bedside transcatheter PDA closure in extremely premature infants in the NICU, pulmonary flow reduction in neonates with complex congenital heart disease, and stent therapies for infants. He is also at the forefront of interventional cardiac MRI, lymphatic imaging and interventions, and the integration of virtual and augmented reality in cardiac interventional procedures. Dr. Sathanandam’s contributions have earned him numerous national and international awards. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, contributed chapters to medical textbooks, and presented at leading conferences worldwide.

In his role as chief of cardiovascular medicine, Dr. Sathanandam provides medical leadership and oversees all clinical, operational, and quality activities for the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine.  As co-director of the Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute, he shares responsibility for setting strategy and overseeing all clinical care, quality metrics, teaching, research, and fiscal planning for the program.

Dr. Sathanandam is board-certified in general pediatrics and pediatric cardiology. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, Pediatric Interventional Cardiac Society, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention, as well as a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Board of Pediatrics, and American Heart Association.

Dr. Sathanandam is employed by Nicklaus Children’s Pediatric Specialists (NCPS), the multispecialty medical group practice of Nicklaus Children’s Health System. He speaks English, Hindi, and Tamil.