Karl J. Karlson, MD

Emeritus Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

As a clinical cardiac surgeon, I am frequently confronted with the problems of revascularization of the ischemic heart. Coronary artery bypass grafting is often employed to deliver new blood supply to the myocardium, but occasionally the anastomoses fail because of the development of neointimal hyperplasia and fibrosis where vessel connections are constructed. Using nanotechnology to deliver agents to the site of the anastomoses could be a game changer in terms of graft patency.

Transmyocardial laser revascularization of the heart has been shown to trigger neovascularization in underperfused regions of the myocardium not amenable to standard revascularization. The prospect of using nanotechnology to deliver growth factor or other agents in a targeted fashion to the area of the laser channels may help to achieve a quantum increase in the benefit realized from the laser surgery.

Publications

  • Published 1/29/2024

    Dobrilovic N, Karlson K, Raman J, Soukas P, Sadiq I, Vognar L, Singh A. Left Bronchial Compression After Endovascular Repair of Contained Rupture of Descending Thoracic Aortic Dissection. Innovations (Phila). 2024; 19(1):92-93. PMID: 38284402.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/29/2023

    Wang Y, Yin K, Datar Y, Mohnot J, Nodoushani AY, Zhan Y, Karlson KJ, Edwards NM, Reardon MJ, Dobrilovic N. Aortic Dissection During Pregnancy and Puerperium: Contemporary Incidence and Outcomes in the United States. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 May 02; 12(9):e028436. PMID: 37119066.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/1/2022

    Nodoushani AY, Wang Y, Datar Y, Mohnot J, Karlson KJ, Edwards NM, Yin K, Dobrilovic N. Association of Intravenous Drug Use and Length of Stay Following Infective Endocarditis. J Surg Res. 2023 Feb; 282:239-245. PMID: 36332302.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/18/2022

    Datar Y, Yin K, Wang Y, Lawrence KW, Awtry EH, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Kimmel SD, Fagan MA, Weinstein ZM, Karlson KJ, McAneny DB, Edwards NM, Dobrilovic N. Surgical outcomes of pulmonary valve infective endocarditis: A US population-based analysis. Int J Cardiol. 2022 Aug 15; 361:50-54. PMID: 35597492.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/10/2022

    Lawrence KW, Yin K, Connelly HL, Datar Y, Brydges H, Balasubramaniyan R, Karlson KJ, Edwards NM, Dobrilovic N. Sex-based outcomes in surgical repair of acute type A aortic dissection: A meta-analysis and meta-regression. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2024 Jan; 167(1):76-85.e13. PMID: 35331557.

    Read at: PubMed

Other Positions

  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Chief, Cardiac Surgery
    Boston Medical Center

Education

  • Brown University School of Medicine, MD
  • Brown University, MMS
  • Brown University, AB