Renowned cardiac surgeon Dr. K M Cherian passed away on Saturday night in Bengaluru. He made history as the first surgeon in India to perform a coronary artery bypass surgery in 1975.

According to family sources, Dr. Cherian, who was in Bengaluru for a wedding, collapsed late in the evening. His daughter, Sandhya Cherian, shared, “We rushed him to Manipal Hospitals, where he was declared dead at 11:55 pm.” His funeral is set for Thursday.

Dr. K M Cherian was also renowned for performing India’s first heart transplant after the legalisation of brain death, as well as the country’s first heart-lung transplant and pediatric heart transplant.

He was the Honorary Surgeon to the President from 1990 to 1993. He received the Harvard Medical Excellence Award in 2005 through a panel organised by Harvard Medical School.

He was the first Indian to become the President of the World Congress of Thoracic Cardiac Surgeons and the first member of the American Association of Thoracic Surgery from India.  He was also the President of the Pediatric Cardiac Society of India.

He was the Founder Vice President and Director of the Madras Medical Mission (MMM), Chennai. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, London and an Honorary Member of the Malaysian Association for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

He was awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1991. 

Just a day before his passing, Dr. Cherian had attended the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode, where he emphasised that doctors should treat every patient as a member of their own family. He made this remark while responding to questions about the best medical practices and work culture for healthcare professionals at the festival on January 24.

His children are Sanjay Cherian and Sandhya Cherian.