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Dr. Agarwal's training trajectory was exceptional from the outset. He secured his MCh in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery from SGPGIMS, Lucknow — India's premier postgraduate medical institute — before heading to the UK for further specialisation. SGPGIMS gave him the rigorous foundation in adult and congenital cardiac surgery upon which his international training would build.
Dr. Agarwal spent four formative years training across the UK's leading cardiac institutions. At University College London, he deepened his adult cardiac and aortic surgery experience. At Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool — one of Europe's largest dedicated paediatric hospitals — he mastered neonatal and complex congenital cardiac surgery. At the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, he gained further experience in advanced adult cardiothoracic procedures.
He returned to India with the coveted FRCS (Cardiothoracic Surgery) from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh — one of the world's oldest and most respected surgical fellowships, earned by fewer than 1% of cardiac surgeons practising in India.
In one of the defining moments of Indian paediatric cardiac surgery, Dr. Vijay Agarwal performed the first paediatric heart transplant in Maharashtra. This was not merely a technical first — it established that India could match international standards in the most complex of all cardiac procedures: transplanting a new heart into a child's chest.
Paediatric heart transplantation demands extraordinary surgical precision, a multidisciplinary team working in absolute synchrony, and an organ procurement and perfusion system that must execute flawlessly within narrow time windows. Dr. Agarwal's success announced that Indian centres — and Indian surgeons — were ready to lead.
Dr. Agarwal pioneered the use of 3D-printed anatomical heart models created from patient-specific CT and MRI imaging data for pre-surgical planning — a practice that was, at the time, being adopted at only the most advanced cardiac centres globally.
The models allowed the surgical team to rehearse the planned repair on an exact physical replica of the patient's own heart anatomy before the operating theatre. For complex congenital cases — where no two hearts are anatomically identical — this capability transformed surgical strategy, reduced intraoperative decision-making uncertainty, and enabled meaningful pre-surgical conversations with families.
For parents facing the prospect of surgery on a newborn's heart, being able to hold and examine a 3D model of their child's heart defect and the planned repair changed everything: it transformed fear into understanding, and uncertainty into informed consent.
Beyond the operating theatre, Dr. Agarwal is committed to bridging the gap between medical knowledge and the people who need it most. He co-authored the bestselling book "Dear People, With Love and Care. Your Doctors" — a landmark work written for patients and families navigating complex medical decisions. The book reflects a core conviction that informed patients are better patients, and that the relationship between doctor and family must be built on clarity, empathy, and trust.
As Director and HOD of CTVS at Charak Hospital, Dr. Agarwal has built a programme that serves patients across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and beyond. From neonates with complex congenital defects to adults with multi-vessel coronary disease, the department handles the full spectrum of cardiothoracic surgery with 24×7 emergency capability.
The programme combines world-class surgical expertise with the accessibility and affordability that families in North India deserve — supported by Ayushman Bharat, CGHS, ECHS, and all major insurance providers.