George Arnaoutakis, MD

Clinical Biography

George J. Arnaoutakis, MD, is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon in the Institute for Cardiovascular Health, a clinical partnership between Ascension Seton and UT Health Austin. He specializes in adult cardiothoracic surgery and serves as the clinic’s Director of Thoracic Aortic Surgery, Cardiovascular Surgery Quality and Outcomes, and Transcatheter Valve Program. He is the Physician Executive for Adult Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in Ascension Texas. Additionally, Dr. Arnaoutakis is an associate professor and Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery within the Dell Medical School Department of Surgery & Perioperative care.

Dr. Arnaoutakis earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. He completed a general surgery residency and a postdoctoral research fellowship in cardiac surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he also served as administrative chief resident. He then completed fellowships in cardiothoracic surgery and advanced aortic procedures at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Dr. Arnaoutakis’ clinical interests include coronary artery bypass graft, valvular heart disease, aortic valve repair, bicuspid aortic valve syndrome, valve-sparing root replacement, aortic arch disease, thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm, and aortic dissection. He is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the American Heart Association, and the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association. He serves on several national committees and is Vice Chair of the STS Workforce on Adult Cardiac and Vascular Surgery.

Dr. Arnaoutakis has presented at national and international meetings and authored 170 peer-reviewed journal articles and over a dozen book chapters. His research interests include aortic aneurysm and dissection, cardiac surgery-related acute kidney injury, cerebral protection in aortic arch reconstruction, bicuspid aortic valve repair, and national databases in cardiothoracic surgery. He has held leadership positions in numerous device trials, advancing the care of patients with aortic disease.

Dr. Arnaoutakis is a cardiothoracic surgeon with UT Health Austin.