Dr. Thomas L Matthew MD

Expert Publications

• Intraoperative assessment of regional myocardial perfusion using quantitative myocardial contrast echocardiography: an experimental evaluation.
• Method for the quantitation of myocardial perfusion during myocardial contrast two-dimensional echocardiography.
• Intraoperative demonstration of coronary collateral flow using myocardial contrast two-dimensional echocardiography.
• Ethical precepts for medical volunteerism: including local voices and values to guide RHD surgery in Rwanda.
• The reversal of amiodarone-induced perioperative reduction in cardiac systolic reserve in dogs.

Media Releases

Get to know Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Thomas Lewis Matthew, who serves patients in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Matthew is a cardiothoracic surgeon who is currently serving as the Director of the Johns Hopkins Cardiothoracic Surgery Program at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Suburban Hospital is a community-based, not-for-profit hospital serving Montgomery County and the surrounding area since 1943. The hospital specializes in surgery, orthopedics, cardiology, neurology, oncology, emergency/trauma, and a variety of additional clinical services. On June 30, 2009, Suburban Hospital became a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Dr. Matthew is also an Assistant Professor of Surgery. He previously served as the Chief of the medical staff and Medical Director of the Progressive Open Heart Unit at Audubon Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. While there, he was a member of the Board of Jewish Hospital Heart and Lung Institute, a member of the Board of the American Heart Association (Louisville), as well as vice president of the Falls City Medical Society.

Dr. Matthew then moved to Colorado, where he served as Co-director of the Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgical Services at Boulder Community Hospital and developed the same program at Longmont United Hospital. He was also Co-director of the Cardiovascular Service Line for the Medical Center of the Rockies, where he was a Perioperative Governance Committee member and Director of the CV Quality Committee. Dr. Matthew also served as a member of the Team Heart Surgical Mission Development Team, performing valve replacement procedures to treat rheumatic heart disease in Kigali, Rwanda.

Dr. Matthew is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is also a member of the National Medical Association and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Dr. Matthew earned his medical degree from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1985, followed by a Master of Science degree in surgical research from the University of Virginia. He completed an internship and residency in general surgery and a residency in thoracic-cardiovascular surgery at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Matthew was also a research fellow, part of the National Science Foundation Fellowship at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, sponsored by the Ford Foundation. During this research fellowship, he studied the use of Albumin microbubbles and echocardiography during open heart operations to measure myocardial perfusion.  

Dr. Matthew is board-certified in surgery by the American Board of Surgery, as well as board-certified in thoracic surgery by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. 

Dr. Matthew dedicates himself the well-being of his patients and strives for excellence in care and compassion. He was inspired by his father, Dr. Matthew, who was the first black neurosurgeon trained in the United States and who established a non-profit organization in New York City that helped underprivileged people in Harlem develop job and life skills.

Cardiothoracic surgery (also known as thoracic surgery) is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of organs inside the thorax (the chest). Cardiothoracic surgeons, like Dr. Matthew, are medical doctors who specialize in surgical procedures inside the thorax (the chest), which may involve the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest. Alongside performing surgery, they also diagnose and treat diseases of these organs. Dr. Matthew’s areas of expertise include cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery, and vascular surgery. He has surgical interests in complex coronary artery surgical revascularization, mitral valve repair, reparative cardiac surgery, and aortic valve replacement including the TAVR procedure.

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