$$ Vivian Dimas, MD Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center

Biography

Vivian Dimas, M.D. is the Director of Interventional Cardiology at Children’s Health℠ and serves as an associate professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Dimas specializes in minimally invasive treatments of heart failure and other complex heart conditions. Dr. Dimas is also board certified to treat adult congenital heart disease patients.

After receiving her medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Dr. Dimas completed a residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma. She completed her fellowship in pediatric cardiology as well as advanced training in both pediatric interventional cardiology and pediatric heart failure and transplantation at Texas Children’s Hospital.

“I always knew I wanted to enter the field of medicine and care for children,” says Dr. Dimas. “Kids with congenital heart conditions often have a challenging healthcare journey. I love helping treat and manage their heart care as they grow. There is great joy in seeing them live a good quality of life despite living with a congenital heart condition.”

As the Director of Interventional Cardiology, Dr. Dimas leads an expert team of specialists who collaborate in the coordination of care for children who experience common and complex heart conditions. She has expertise in the use of minimally-invasive procedures and advanced techniques, such as percutaneous ventricular assist device implantation,  and transcatheter valve replacement to treat various heart conditions. Dr. Dimas prides herself in ensuring all patients receive the highest level of evidence-based quality care, delivered with compassion.

Dr. Dimas’ research interests involve pioneering the use of Impella percutaneous left ventricle assist devices in the pediatric population as well as the development of a pediatric specific Impella device. These devices help a child’s heart pump blood if they are experiencing heart failure. She strives to adopt the use of this device, as well as other adult cardiac devices such as transcatheter valve replacements, for use in children to improve the treatment and management of congenital heart defects so that children can benefit from the same technological advances available to adults with similar conditions. In addition, she serves as the primary investigator on several new device trials allowing patients at Children’s Health the opportunity to benefit from cutting edge interventional therapies. She is passionate about the discovery of new technologies and approaches to care that improve the quality of life and outcomes of those she serves.

In her free time, Dr. Dimas enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, running and cycling. She speaks English and Greek.

Education and Training

Medical School

Residency

Fellowship

Departments & Programs

Conditions & Treatments

Conditions

Treatments

Research & Publications

Research Interests

• Percutaneous therapies for the treatment of congestive heart failure

Selected Publications

Books

• Heart Failure in Children and Young Adults: From Molecular Mechanisms to Medical and Surgical Strategies, Chang AC, Towbin JA, eds.

Articles

• Invasive Hemodynamics of Adult Congenital Heart Disease: From Shunts to Coarctation. Veeram Reddy SR, Nugent AW, Zellers TM, Dimas VV Interventional cardiology clinics 2017 Jul 6 3 345-358
• Executive summary of the SCAI/HFSA clinical expert consensus document on the use of invasive hemodynamics for the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease. Sorajja P, Borlaug BA, Dimas V, Fang JC, Forfia PR, Givertz MM, Kapur NK, Kern MJ, Naidu SS Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions 2017 Jun 89 7 1294-1299
• SCAI/HFSA clinical expert consensus document on the use of invasive hemodynamics for the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease. Sorajja P, Borlaug BA, Dimas VV, Fang JC, Forfia PR, Givertz MM, Kapur NK, Kern MJ, Naidu SS Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions 2017 May
• A multicenter study of the impella device for mechanical support of the systemic circulation in pediatric and adolescent patients. Dimas VV, Morray BH, Kim DW, Almond CS, Shahanavaz S, Tume SC, Peng LF, McElhinney DB, Justino H Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions 2017 Mar
• Circulatory support using the impella device in fontan patients with systemic ventricular dysfunction: A multicenter experience. Morray BH, Dimas VV, Lim S, Balzer DT, Parekh DR, Van Mieghem NM, Ewert P, Kim DW, Justino H, McElhinney DB, Jones TK Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions 2017 Jan
• Alemtuzumab (Campath-1H) therapy for refractory rejections in pediatric heart transplant recipients. Das B, Dimas V, Guleserian K, Lacelle C, Anton K, Moore L, Morrow R Pediatric transplantation 2016 Nov
• Initial Experience With the Pediatric Impella Device: A Feasibility Study in a Porcine Model. Webb MK, Wang J, Riegel MS, Guleserian KJ, Forbess JM, Zellers TM, Dimas VV Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions 2016 May
• Use of nesiritide in critically ill children with biventricular dysfunction suffering from oliguria despite standard heart-failure management. Das BB, Koch J, Dimas V, Guleserian K, Nugent A Cardiology in the young 2015 Dec 1-5
• 2015 SCAI/ACC/HFSA/STS Clinical Expert Consensus Statement on the Use of Percutaneous Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices in Cardiovascular Care: Endorsed by the American Heart Association, the Cardiological Society of India, and Sociedad Latino Americana de Cardiologia Intervencion; Affirmation of Value by the Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology-Association Canadienne de Cardiologie d'intervention., Rihal CS, Naidu SS, Givertz MM, Szeto WY, Burke JA, Kapur NK, Kern M, Garratt KN, Goldstein JA, Dimas V, Tu T J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2015 Apr
• The interventional heart failure initiative: A mission statement for the next generation of invasive cardiologists., Kapur NK, Dimas V, Sorajja P, Borlaug BA, Fang J, Kern M, Naidu SS Catheter Cardiovasc Interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions 2015 Mar
• Serum Cystatin C as an Early Marker of Neutrophil Gelatinase-associated Lipocalin-positive Acute Kidney Injury Resulting from Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Infants with Congenital Heart Disease. Herbert C, Patel M, Nugent A, Dimas VV, Guleserian KJ, Quigley R, Modem V Congenital heart disease 2015 Feb
• Management and Outcomes of Heterotaxy Syndrome Associated With Pulmonary Atresia or Pulmonary Stenosis., Sebastian VA, Brenes J, Murthy R, Veeram Reddy S, Dimas VV, Nugent A, Zellers T, Huang R, Guleserian KJ, Forbess JM Ann. Thorac. Surg. 2014 Apr
• Incidence of acute kidney injury following cardiac catheterization prior to cardiopulmonary bypass in children., Huggins N, Nugent A, Modem V, Rodriguez JS, Forbess J, Scott W, Dimas VV Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2014 Jan
• Ringed polytetrafluoroethylene (Gore-Tex) tunneled "chimney" graft for pediatric use of Impella 2.5 axial flow pump. Murthy R, Brenes J, Dimas VV, Guleserian KJ The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery 2013 Dec
• Utilization of the impella 2.5 micro-axial pump in children for acute circulatory support. Dimas VV, Murthy R, Guleserian KJ Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions 2013 May
• Vasopressin rescue for in-pediatric intensive care unit cardiopulmonary arrest refractory to initial epinephrine dosing: a prospective feasibility pilot trial. Carroll TG, Dimas VV, Raymond TT Pediatric critical care medicine : a journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies 2012 May 13 3 265-72
• Outcomes of transcatheter occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus in infants weighing = 6 kg. Dimas VV, Takao C, Ing FF, Mattamal R, Nugent AW, Grifka RG, Mullins CE, Justino HJ ACC. Cardiovascular interventions 2010 Dec 3 12 1295-9
• Stent implantation for coarctation of the aorta in a premature infant through carotid cutdown as a bridge to surgical correction. Dimas VV, Leonard SR, Guleserian KJ, Forbess JM, Zellers TM The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery 2010 Apr 139 4 1070-1
• Management of single-ventricle patients with Berlin Heart EXCOR Ventricular Assist Device: single-center experience. Mackling T, Shah T, Dimas V, Guleserian K, Sharma M, Forbess J, Ardura M, Gross-Toalson J, Lee Y, Journeycake J, Barnes A Artificial organs 2012 Jun 36 6 555-9
• Frequency of cardiac death in children with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Dimas VV, Denfield SW, Friedman RA, Cannon BC, Kim JJ, Smith EO, Clunie SK, Price JF, Towbin JA, Dreyer WJ, Kertesz NJ The American journal of cardiology 2009 Dec 104 11 1574-7
• A prospective evaluation of nesiritide in the treatment of pediatric heart failure. Jefferies JL, Denfield SW, Price JF, Dreyer WJ, McMahon CJ, Grenier MA, Kim JJ, Dimas VV, Clunie SK, Moffett BS, Chang AC, Wann TI, Smith EO, Towbin JA Pediatric cardiology 2006 Jul-Aug 27 4 402-7
• Leukocyte suppression is associated with improved clinical outcomes in children's status after orthotopic heart transplantation. Kim JJ, Dreyer WJ, O'Brian Smith E, Price JF, Clunie S, Dimas VV, Jefferies JL, Rosenblatt H, Radovancevic B, Towbin JA, Denfield SW The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation 2006 Feb 25 2 195-9
• Transcatheter atrial septal defect closure: modified balloon sizing technique to avoid overstretching the defect and oversizing the Amplatzer septal occluder. Carlson KM, Justino H, O'Brien RE, Dimas VV, Leonard GT, Pignatelli RH, Mullins CE, Smith EO, Grifka RG Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions 2005 Nov 66 3 390-6
• Combined tricuspid valvuloplasty and superior cavopulmonary anastomosis for repair of traumatic tricuspid valve injury. Dimas VV, Grifka RG, Fraser CD Texas Heart Institute journal / from the Texas Heart Institute of St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital 2004 31 4 418-20

Professional Activities

Professional Associations and Affiliations

• American Academy of Pediatrics/Member
• Society of Cardiac Angiography and Intervention, Fellow

Awards & Honors

• Texas Super Doctors  - Texas Monthly Magazine (2017)
• Best Pediatric Specialists - D Magazine - (2016 - 2017)
• Texas Rising Stars - Texas Monthly Magazine (2013)
• American Academy of Pediatrics -  Basic Science AAP Young Investigator Award (2004)
• American Academy of Pediatrics - Recipient of Educational Travel Grant (2004)
• Owen M. Rennert Award - Academic Excellence and Scholarly Achievement (2001)

Appointments & Locations

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Locations