Venugopal Amula

Venugopal Amula, MD, MS, FACC

Languages spoken: English

  • Dr. Amula received his medical degree from Osmania Medical College, India. He also received a postgraduate degree in Pediatrics from Gandhi Medical College, India. He moved to the United States and completed his Pediatric residency at William Beaumont Hospital affiliated to Wayne State University in 2007. He completed a dual fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the University of Utah in 2012 and Pediatric Cardiology at Duke University Medical Center in 2014. Dr. Amula is board certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Cardiology, and Pediatric Critical Care. He is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah and is the Medical Director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Primary Children’s Hospital.

    Dr. Amula’s clinical interests include postoperative care of children with critical congenital heart disease. He is also interested in the inpatient management of children with cardiomyopathy including mechanical circulatory support and ventricular assist devices.

    Dr. Amula’s research interests include outcomes of patients with congenital heart disease and quality improvement with a focus on resource utilization in the cardiac intensive care unit.

    Specialties

    Board Certification

    American Board of Pediatrics (Pediatrics)
    American Board of Pediatrics (Sub: Pediatric Cardiology)
    American Board of Pediatrics (Sub: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine)
    Medical Council of India
    National Board of Examinations (India)

  • Dr. Amula received his medical degree from Osmania Medical College, India. He also received a postgraduate degree in Pediatrics from Gandhi Medical College, India. He moved to the United States and completed his Pediatric residency at William Beaumont Hospital affiliated to Wayne State University in 2007. He completed a dual fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the University of Utah in 2012 and Pediatric Cardiology at Duke University Medical Center in 2014. Dr. Amula is board certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Cardiology, and Pediatric Critical Care. He is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah and is the Medical Director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Primary Children’s Hospital.

    Dr. Amula’s clinical interests include postoperative care of children with critical congenital heart disease. He is also interested in the inpatient management of children with cardiomyopathy including mechanical circulatory support and ventricular assist devices.

    Dr. Amula’s research interests include outcomes of patients with congenital heart disease and quality improvement with a focus on resource utilization in the cardiac intensive care unit.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Pediatrics -Primary
    Academic Divisions Critical Care
    Board Certification
    American Board of Pediatrics (Pediatrics)
    American Board of Pediatrics (Sub: Pediatric Cardiology)
    American Board of Pediatrics (Sub: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine)
    Medical Council of India
    National Board of Examinations (India)

    Education history

    Graduate Training Clinical Research and Investigation - University of Utah M.S.C.I
    Pediatric Cardiology - Duke University Medical Center Fellow
    Fellowship Pediatric Critical Care - University of Utah Fellow
    Pediatrics - William Beaumont Hospital Resident
    Post Graduate Training Pediatrics - Gandhi Medical College Postgraduate Studies
    Medicine - Osmania Medical College M.D.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Hill KD, Kannankeril PJ, Jacobs JP, Baldwin HS, Jacobs ML, OBrien SM, Bichel DP, Graham EM, Blasiole B, Resheidat A, Husain AS, Kumar SR, Kirchner JL, Gallup DS, Turek JW, Bleiweis M, Mettler B, Benscoter A, Wald E, Karamlou T, Van Bergen AH, Overman D, Eghtesady P, Butts R, Kim JS, Scott JP, Anderson BR, Swartz MF, McConnell PI, Vener DF, Li JS, STRESS Network Investigators (2022). Methylprednisolone for Heart Surgery in Infants - A Randomized, Controlled Trial. N Engl J Med, 387(23), 2138-2149.
    2. Buckley JR, Costello JM, Smerling AJ, Sassalos P, Amula V, Cashen K, Riley CM, Bakar AM, Iliopoulos I, Jennings A, Narasimhulu SS, Mastropietro CW, Collaborative Research from the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society Investigators (2022). Contemporary Multicenter Outcomes for Truncus Arteriosus With Interrupted Aortic Arch. Ann Thorac Surg.
    3. Cheung EW, Mastropietro CW, Flores S, Amula V, Radman M, Kwiatkowski D, Puente BN, Buckley JR, Allen K, Loomba R, Kakri K, Chiwane S, Cashen K, Piggott K, Kapileshwarkar Y, Gowda KMN, Badheka A, Raman R, Costello JM, Zang H, Iliopoulos I, Collaborative Research from the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society CoRe-PCICS Investigators (2022). Procedural Outcomes of Pulmonary Atresia With Intact Ventricular Septum in Neonates: A Multicenter Study. Ann Thorac Surg.
    4. Iliopoulos I, Mastropietro CW, Flores S, Cheung E, Amula V, Radman M, Kwiatkowski D, Puente BN, Buckley JR, Allen KY, Loomba R, Karki KB, Chiwane S, Cashen K, Piggott K, Kapileshwarkar Y, Gowda KMN, Badheka A, Raman R, Zang H, Costello JM, Collaborative Research from the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society Investigators (2022). Pulmonary Atresia with Intact Ventricular Septum: Midterm Outcomes from a Multicenter Cohort. Pediatr Cardiol.
    5. Radman M, Mastropietro CW, Costello JM, Amula V, Flores S, Caudill E, Karki K, Migally K, Narasimhulu S, Piggott K, Sassalos P, Wilhelm M, Moser EAS, Cashen K, Collaborative Research from the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society CoRe-PCICS Investigators (2020). Intermediate Outcomes After Repair of Anomalous Left Coronary Artery From the Pulmonary Artery. Ann Thorac Surg, 112(4), 1307-1315.
    6. Moza R, Truong DT, Lambert LM, Ou Z, Amula V, Eckhauser A, Minich LL, Williams RV (2021). Poor Weight Recovery Between Stage 1 Palliation and Hospital Discharge for Infants with Single Ventricle Physiology: An Analysis of the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative Phase II Dataset. J Pediatr, 234, 20-26.e2.
    7. Weyhrauch DL, Truong DT, Pinto NM, Amula V, Lambert LM, Zhang C, Presson AP, Wilkes J, Minich LL, Williams RV (2021). Changes in Provider Prescribing Behavior for Infants with Single Ventricle Physiology After Evidence-Based Publications. Pediatr Cardiol, 42(5), 1224-1232.
    8. Bakar AM, Costello JM, Sassalos P, Amula V, Buckley JR, Smerling AJ, Iliopoulos I, Riley CM, Jennings A, Cashen K, Suguna Narasimhulu S, Narayana Gowda KM, Wilhelm M, Badheka A, Slaven JE, Mastropietro CW, Collaborative Research from the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society CoRe-PCICS Investigators (2020). Multicenter Analysis of Truncal Valve Management and Outcomes in Children with Truncus Arteriosus. Pediatr Cardiol, 41(7), 1473-1483.
    9. Hill KD, Baldwin HS, Bichel DP, Butts RJ, Chamberlain RC, Ellis AM, Graham EM, Hickerson J, Hornik CP, Jacobs JP, Jacobs ML, Jaquiss RD, Kannankeril PJ, OBrien SM, Torok R, Turek JW, Li JS, STRESS Network Investigators (2019). Rationale and design of the STeroids to REduce Systemic inflammation after infant heart Surgery (STRESS) trial. Am Heart J, 220, 192-202.
    10. Riley CM, Mastropietro CW, Sassalos P, Buckley JR, Costello JM, Iliopoulos I, Jennings A, Cashen K, Suguna Narasimhulu S, Gowda KMN, Smerling AJ, Wilhelm M, Badheka A, Bakar A, Moser EAS, Amula V (2019). Utilization of inhaled nitric oxide after surgical repair of truncus arteriosus: A multicenter analysis. Congenit Heart Dis, 14(6), 1078-1086.
    11. Amula V, Vener DF, Pribble CG, Riegger L, Wilson EC, Shekerdemian LS, Ou Z, Presson AP, Witte MK, Nicolson SC (2019). Changes in Anesthetic and Postoperative Sedation-Analgesia Practice Associated With Early Extubation Following Infant Cardiac Surgery: Experience From the Pediatric Heart Network Collaborative Learning Study. Pediatr Crit Care Med, 20(10), 931-939.
    12. Mastropietro CW, Amula V, Sassalos P, Buckley JR, Smerling AJ, Iliopoulos I, Riley CM, Jennings A, Cashen K, Narasimhulu SS, Narayana Gowda KM, Bakar AM, Wilhelm M, Badheka A, Moser EAS, Costello JM, Collaborative Research in Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Investigators (2019). Characteristics and operative outcomes for children undergoing repair of truncus arteriosus: A contemporary multicenter analysis. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 157(6), 2386-2398.e4.
    13. McHugh KE, Mahle WT, Hall MA, Scheurer MA, Moga MA, Triedman J, Nicolson SC, Amula V, Cooper DS, Schamberger M, Wolf M, Shekerdemian L, Burns KM, Ash KE, Hipp DM, Pasquali SK, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators (2018). Hospital Costs Related to Early Extubation After Infant Cardiac Surgery. Ann Thorac Surg, 107(5), 1421-1426.
    14. Buckley JR, Amula V, Sassalos P, Costello JM, Smerling AJ, Iliopoulos I, Jennings A, Riley CM, Cashen K, Suguna Narasimhulu S, Gowda KMN, Bakar AM, Wilhelm M, Badheka A, Moser EAS, Mastropietro CW, Collaborative Research in Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Investigators (2019). Multicenter Analysis of Early Childhood Outcomes After Repair of Truncus Arteriosus. Ann Thorac Surg, 107(2), 553-559.
    15. Mastropietro CW, Amula V, Sassalos P, Buckley JR, Smerling AJ, Iliopoulos I, Riley CM, Jennings A, Cashen K, Narasimhulu SS, Narayana Gowda KM, Bakar AM, Wilhelm M, Badheka A, Moser EAS, Costello JM (in press). Characteristics and Operative Outcomes for Children Undergoing Repair of Truncus Arteriosus: A Contemporary Multicenter Analysis. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.
    16. Brunetti MA, Gaynor JW, Retzloff LB, Lehrich JL, Banerjee M, Amula V, Bailly D, Klugman D, Koch J, Lasa J, Pasquali SK, Gaies M (2018). Characteristics, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Use in Pediatric Cardiac ICUs: A Report From the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium Registry. Pediatr Crit Care Med, 19(6), 544-552.
    17. Furlong-Dillard J, Bailly D, Amula V, Wilkes J, Bratton S (2018). Resource Use and Morbidities in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Patients with Genetic Conditions. J Pediatr, 193, 139-146.e1.
    18. Furlong-Dillard JM, Amula V, Bailly DK, Bleyl SB, Wilkes J, Bratton SL (2017). Use of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Mortality in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Patients With Genetic Conditions: A Multicenter Analysis. Pediatr Crit Care Med, 18(9), 850-858.
    19. Amula V, Ellsworth GL, Bratton SL, Arrington CB, Witte MK (2014). Heterotaxy syndrome: impact of ventricular morphology on resource utilization. Pediatr Cardiol, 35(1), 38-46.
    20. Lee W, Riggs T, Amula V, Tsimis M, Cutler N, Bronsteen R, Comstock CH (2010). Fetal echocardiography: z-score reference ranges for a large patient population. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol, 35(1), 28-34.

    Review

    1. Saharan S, Vettukattil J, Bhat A, Amula V, Bansal M, Chowdhury D, Dyamenahalli U, Gupta S, Das B, Susheel Kumar T, Muralidaran A, Trivedi K, Swaminathan S, Bansal N, Doshi U, Hoskoppal A, Balaji S (2022). Patent foramen ovale in children: Unique pediatric challenges and lessons learned from adult literature. [Review]. Ann Pediatr Cardiol, 15(1), 44-52.
    2. Saharan S, Vettukattil J, Bhat A, Amula V, Bansal M, Chowdhury D, Dyamenahalli U, Gupta SK, Das B, Susheel Kumar TK, Muralidaran A, Trivedi K, Swaminathan S, Bansal N, Doshi U, Hoskoppal A, Balaji S (2022). Patent foramen ovale in children: Unique pediatric challenges and lessons learned from adult literature. [Review]. Ann Pediatr Cardiol, 15(1), 44-52.

    Commentary

    1. Amula V (2010). Extracorporeal Resuscitation in Childhood Cardiac Arrest Commentary. 24(4), 49.

    Editorial

    1. Amula V (2020). Developing Competency in Cardiac Point-of-Care Ultrasound-Means Are As Important As the End. Pediatr Crit Care Med, 21(12), 1098-1099.

    Abstract

    1. Rohin Moza, Dongngan Truong, Linda Lambert, Zhining Ou, Venugopal Amula, Aaron Eckhauser, L LuAnn Minich, Richard Williams (2020). POOR WEIGHT RECOVERY BETWEEN STAGE 1 PALLIATION AND HOSPITAL DISCHARGE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE NPC-QIC PHASE II DATASET [Abstract].
    2. Weyhrauch, D, Pinto, N, Truong, DT, Amula, V, Lambert, L, Zhang, C, Presson, A, Wilkes, J, Minich, L L and Williams, R (03/28/2019). Changes in Digoxin and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor Use in Infants with Single Ventricle Physiology Following Landmark Publications [Abstract]. Journal of American College of Cardiology, 73(9), 634.
    3. Mastropietro, CW, Amula V etal (April 2018). Epidemiology and Clinical Outcomes for Children Undergoing Repair of Truncus Arteriosus: A Contemporary Multicenter Analysis [Abstract].
    4. Riley CM, Mastropietro CW, Sassalos P, Buckley JR, Costello JM, Iliopoulos I, Jennings A, Cashen K, Suguna Narasimhulu S, Narayana Gowda KM, Smerling A, Bakar AM, Wilhelm M, Badheka A, Moser EAS, Amula V (Feb 2018). Multicenter Analysis of Utilization of Inhaled Nitric Oxide in Patients Undergoing Repair of Truncus Arteriosus [Abstract].
    5. Jason R Buckley, Venu Amula etal (Feb 2018). Early Childhood Outcomes Following Repair of Truncus Arteriosus:A Contemporary Multicenter Analysis [Abstract].
    6. Amula V, Ellsworth G, Bratton SL, Arrington C, Witte M (2012). Impact of ventricular morphology on resource utilization in children with heterotaxy [Abstract]. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Meeting 2012.
    7. Amula V, Riggs T, Lee W, Cutler N, Bronsteen R, Comstock C (2009). Fetal cardiac growth: Z scores from 3000 normal pregnancies [Abstract]. Cardiology Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Washington, D.C.
    8. Amula V, Aggarwal S, LEcuyer TJ (2009). Therapeutic Role of Sildenafil in Perioperative Pulmonary Hypertension in Pediatric Heart Transplantation [Abstract]. PAS 2009.

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