Rate My Professor Katsuhiro Matsuura

Katsuhiro Matsuura, DVM, PhD, serves as Clinical Assistant Professor in Open-heart Surgery in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. He joined the faculty in July 2023 after developing expertise in veterinary cardiac surgery in Japan, where he performed more than 100 mitral valve repair surgeries achieving a success rate over 90 percent. At the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital, Dr. Matsuura leads the Open Heart Surgery Program, which provides surgical repair of the mitral valve using cardiopulmonary bypass for dogs suffering from advanced stages of myxomatous mitral valve disease. This pioneering program conducted over 40 surgeries in its inaugural year, attaining an 88 percent success rate and establishing the University of Florida as a leading center for canine cardiac interventions in the United States. The program evaluates patient eligibility through comprehensive preoperative assessments including echocardiography, blood work, and imaging, followed by intensive postoperative care and monitoring.

Dr. Matsuura's research centers on veterinary cardiology, encompassing clinical outcomes of mitral valve repair techniques, intraventricular hemodynamics, and echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac function in dogs and other species under varying physiological conditions. Notable publications include 'The outcome of surgical mitral valve repair with loop-in-loop technique in dogs with different stage myxomatous mitral valve disease' (Journal of Veterinary Cardiology, 2022; 34 citations), 'Left ventricular vortex and intraventricular pressure difference in dogs under various loading conditions' (American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 2019; 32 citations), 'Effect of supra-nutritional selenium-enriched probiotics on hematobiochemical, hormonal, and Doppler hemodynamic changes in male goats' (Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2020; 32 citations), and 'Effect of loading changes on the intraventricular pressure measured by color M-mode echocardiography in rats' (Diagnostics, 2021; 27 citations). He contributes to education by teaching Veterinary Cardiology Clerkship (VEM5862) and Advanced Small Animal Surgery (VEM5432). His contributions have advanced surgical treatments for congenital and degenerative heart diseases in small animals.