Dr. Sebastian Pagni, MD

Media Releases

Get to know Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Sebastian Pagni, who serves patients in Louisville, Kentucky.

Performing over 400 major operations annually, Dr. Pagni is affiliated with Baptist Cardiac Surgery, a leading center of Baptist Health Louisville. His areas of interest include complex valve surgery (including mitral valve repair), off pump coronary bypass, major thoracic aortic procedures, ventricular reconstruction, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and surgery for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Established in 1994, the Baptist Cardiac Surgery (BCS) Program has evolved into a leading center in Kentuckiana, with a commitment to excellence in care, outcomes, and cardiac surgery advancement. BCS surgeons are nationally recognized for the early adoption and refinement of minimally invasive valve and coronary revascularization procedures, mitral valve repair, and complex aortic procedures. They perform more than 1,000 cardiac surgical procedures annually with combined surgical experience of more than 70 years.

An active staff surgeon at Baptist Health Louisville since 2001, Dr. Pagni is also affiliated with Baptist Health Floyd in New Albany, Indiana, where he has been active since 2007. He serves as the Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Surgery Program and directs the BCS Aortic Surgery Program. 

Prior to his current endeavours, he served as a cardiothoracic and aortic surgeon at the University of Louisville Hospital, Norton Hospital, Audubon Hospital, and Jewish Hospital. He also served as an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Louisville until 2013.

A 1989 graduate of the National University of La Plata School of Medicine in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dr. Pagni completed his internship and residency in general surgery at the Hospital of Saint Raphael at Yale University in New Haven in 1996. He finished a clinical/research fellowship in cardiopulmonary transplantation and new therapies at the University of Louisville and received further fellowship training in cardiovascular surgery at the Instituto de Cardiologia at the Hospital Espanol de Buenos Aires in 1999. Upon relocating to the United States, he performed his residency in thoracic surgery at the University of Louisville in 2001.

With over 30 years of experience in his field, the doctor is board-certified in thoracic and cardiac surgery by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS). The ABTS is an American surgical organization devoted to surgery of the chest.

Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in the surgical treatment of organs inside the thorax. Cardiothoracic surgeons are medical doctors who specialize in surgical procedures inside the thorax, 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. 

Honored with the “Best Outcomes” Award for the Best Regional Cardiac Center-Louisville Area by US News & World Report from 2009-2013 (Cardiac Surgery) and Best Doctors of Louisville from 2010-2014, Dr. Pagni has also been the recipient of the Patients’ Choice Award (2014) and On-Time Doctor Award (2014). 

Recommended Articles

• How Does your Triglyceride Level Affect You?

  Triglycerides are produced as a product of breakdown of fats. It is also produced from carbohydrates to be stored as energy. Triglycerides are generally stored in fat cells and released when needed.The healthy range or normal level of triglycerides in the body is less than 150 milligrams per...

• Atypical Forms of Myocardial Infarction

  Atypical myocardial infarction often occurs in older patients with a pronounced cardiosclerosis, circulatory failure, and often with people who have a history of heart attacks.The symptoms may confuse you, or make you think that they are not associated with the heart.Usually, atypical manifestations...

• Complications of Myocardial Infarction

  Complications can be divided according to different factors:...

• Congestive Heart Failure: What is Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG)?

  Congestive Heart Failure is the leading cause of emergency hospitalization among people aged over sixty. It is a condition where the heart is inefficient in pumping the required amount of blood to the other parts of the body. This inefficiency can sometimes be so severe that it can impair the...

• Treatment for Congestive Heart Failure

  The following methods work together to treat heart failure:...

• Atrial Fibrillation: What is a Catheter Ablation?

  Atrial fibrillation - also known as AF or a-fib - is a medical condition that affects the rhythm of the heart. Problems that affect the rhythm of the heart cause a condition known as arrhythmia. This condition often causes irregular blood flow. It is quite common, with more than 200,000 cases in the...