Kavitha Muthiah earned a PhD at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, Australia) analyzing the effects of left ventricular assist devices on microRNA regulation within cardiomyocytes.  She then completed clinical fellowships at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Kings College Hospital in London, as well as at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. Prior to returning to St Vincent’s in 2017, she completed a further fellowship at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne in Advanced Heart Failure.

Kavitha Muthiah is currently a staff specialist in cardiology at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney and has focused her research in advanced heart failure and transplant (2022). She has researched patients with end-stage heart failure that rely on the use of a left ventricle assist device, in order to understand how the mechanical heart pump affects the body (2021). Her studies have focused on how the left ventricle assist device (LVAD) impacts angiogenesis and how to reduce negative side effects associated with the implant (2021). A LVAD is an electromechanical pump that is implanted in the bottom of the left ventricle, of individuals that have heart failure, in order to partially assist or completely replace the function of the heart. Recently, Dr. Muthiah has been involved in many studies, including studying how LVAD monitor alarms that can help alert the caregivers of changes in LVAD pump function (ASAIO 2021- put in proper citation). Other research studies have included assessing increased risks of bleeding associated with LVADS as well as the effects of anti-coagulants on thrombus formation times.  Additionally, she has been involved in studying other potential effects on blood flow that may impact individuals with LVADs, including one rare case of intermittent suction events caused by ventricular papillary muscles, which resulted in low blood flow. Dr. Muthiah has the view that understanding problems and potential problems, as well as the benefits in individuals with LVADs leads to better outcomes and innovations within the field.

Fun Facts: 

Associate professor Kavitha Muthiah is a recipient of many awards and scholarships, including the Young Investigator Award for the American Society of Artificial Implantable Organs and the National Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Scholarship and Innovation Grant (2022). She is also the first female winner of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplant MCS Award in Translation Research (2022). Kavitha Muthiah became a cardiologist in 2012 and later took on various fellowships in the United Kingdom (2021). She now is a cardiac representative on the council for the Transplant Society of Australia and New Zealand (2022).