Chithra Poongkunran, MD

Chithra Poongkunran, MD, attended Kilpauk Medical College in India, earning her medical degree in 2007. After her Internal Medicine residency at Northeastern Ohio University Affiliated Hospitals in 2012, she completed two fellowships – one in Sleep Medicine at the University of Arizona in 2018 and the other in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 2023. Dr. Poongkunran joined Kelsey-Seybold as a Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine specialist in November 2023.

Dr. Poongkunran follows in the footsteps of her parents, who were both doctors. With clinical interests in treating asthma, COPD, interstitial lung diseases, central sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, REM behavioral disorder, Dr. Poongkunran also sees patients for cough, pneumonia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, sepsis and septic shock, and ARDS. Acknowledging that medicine is an ever-evolving field of science, Dr. Poongkunran enjoys being able to learn something new every day, including from her patients, and forming meaningful relationships through her practice of medicine.

Dr. Poongkunran is a member of the American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American College of Physicians, and Indian Medical Association.

Spending time with her husband and kids is something Dr. Poongkunran looks forward to at the end of every day. She also likes to work out, travel, and try cooking different cuisines.

Awards

• Distinction and Merit Certificate in General Surgery, MS4, March 2006
• Father Murphy Proficiency Trophy in Science, March 2019
• Bressler Alpert Society Travel Award - Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, May 2018

Publications

Peer Reviewed Publications

• Poongkunran C, John S, Kannan A, Shetty S, Bime C, Parthasarathy S. A Meta-Analysis Of Sleep-Promoting Interventions During Critical Illness - American Journal of Medicine. 2015 Oct PMID: 26071825.
• Parthasarathy, S, Combs, D, Patel, SN, Poongkunran C, Quan, SF. Provider Types and Outcomes in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Case Findings and Treatment.Annals of Internal Medicine. 2018 Aug 7 PMID 30083707.
• Bailey O, Combs D, Sans-Fuentes M, Havens CM, Grandner MA, Poongkunran C,. Parthasarathy S. Delayed Sleep time in African Americans and Depression in a Community Based Population. J Clin Sleep Med. 2019 Jun 15 PMID: 31138383.
• Bime C, Poongkunran C, Borgstrom M, Natt B, Desai H, Parthasarathy S, Garcia JG. Racial Differences in Mortality from Severe Acute Respiratory Failure in the United States, 2008-2012.Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2016 Dec;13 .PMID:2766888.
• Knitter J, Bailey OF, Poongkunran C, Combs D, Lane R, Zareba W, Parthasarathy S. Comparison of Physiological Performance of Four Adaptive Servo Ventilation Devices in Patients with Complex Sleep Apnea. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2019 Jan 3. PMID: 3060535.
• Natt BS, Desai H, Singh N, Poongkunran C, Parthasarathy S, Bime C. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: National Trends in the United States 2008 -2012. Respiratory Care Respir Care. 2016 Jul 5 PMID: 2738120.
• Kannan A, Poongkunran C, Jayaraj M, Janardhanan R. Role of strain imaging in right heart disease- A comprehensive review. J. Clin Med Res. 2014 Oct;6(5):309-13. PMID: 25110533.
• Kannan A, Poongkunran C, Medina R, Ramanujam V, Poongkunran M, Balamuthusamy S. Coronary Revascularization in Chronic Renal Disease and End Stage Renal Disease- A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis. American Journal of Therapeutics. Am J Ther. 2014 Jul 3. PMID: 24999748.
• Kannan A, Poongkunran C, Shenoy S, Abidov A. Perioperative Management of Anticoagulation- Review of Latest Evidence. American Journal of Therapeutics. Accepted May 2014.
• Poongkunran C, Chandrasekharan C, Kannan A, Sundararajan S. Clinical and life style variables in functional dyspepsia and its sub-types-Tropical Gastroenterology 2012; 33(1): 33–38

Non-Peer Reviewed Publications

• Poongkunran C, Budhiraja R. Board Review: nocturnal hypoxemia in COPD. Southwest J Pulm Crit Care. 2013;6(1):12-14. https://www.swjpcc.com/sleep/2013/1/3/sleep-board-review-question-nocturnal-hypoxemia-in-copd.html, Pub Status: Published.

Abstracts

• Chithra Poongkunran, Daniel Combs, Safal Shetty, S. Parthasarathy, Adaptive Servo Ventilation in Patients with Heart Failure and Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A Cumulative Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression. Poster presentation at :ATS 2018;SanDiego, CA.
• Bhupinder Natt , Hem Desai , Chithra Poongkunran , Christian Bime , Nirmal Singh , Yuval Raz.. (2015). Extracor poreal Membrane Oxygenator use in ARDS; trends from 2008-2012 Poster presented at: Chest 2015; Montreal, QC CAN.
• Bhupinder Natt , Hem Desai , Nirmal Singh , Chithra Poongkunran , Christian Bime. (2015). ARDS Prevalence and Survival Trends in the United States; 2008-2012 Poster presented at: Chest 2015; Montreal, QC CAN.
• Poongkunran C, Desai H, Natt B, Bime C. (2016). INCREASED MORTALITY IN ARDS PATIENTS REQUIRING CONTINUOUS RENAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY Poster presented at: Society of critical care medicine; Orlando, FL.
• Kannan A, Poongkunran C, Balamuthusamy S. Coronary revascularization in chronic renal disease and end stage renal disease- a systematic review and meta analysis. European Society of Cardiology Congress 2014. Barcelona, Spain. August 2014.
• Kannan A, Poongkunran C, Medina R, Balamuthusamy S. Coronary artery bypass graft decreases mortality in ESRD patients with ischemic heart disease when compared to percutaneous coronary interventions- Meta Analysis- American Heart Association Scientific Session 2013, Dallas, TX, November 2013.
• Ganta C, Poongkunran C, Kannan A, Beard J. Well Liked, Simple & Effective Hand-Offs also Warrant Continued Monitoring and Motivation. AAMC Integrating Quality: Improving Value and Educating for Quality Meeting 2013. Chicago,IL, June 2013.
• Poongkunran C, Narayanan R, Boutros N. A chilling chance to survive! Therapeutic Hypothermia - American Thoracic Society 2012, San Francisco, CA, May 2012.
• Poongkunran C, Narayanan R, Bouserhal C. Recognize and Report Me - Blastomycosis- Northeast Ohio Medical University, Youngstown, OH, May 2012.
• Kannan A, Poongkunran C, Nagajothi N, Nelson K. Statin Therapy Has Been Associated With Decreased evidence of Atrial Fibrillation- Meta analysis and Systematic review- ACC Annual Scientific Session 2012, Chicago, IL. March 2012.
• Kannan A, Poongkunran C, Maitra A. Are all immunosuppresants treated equally? - Case Report and Review of Literature. Aultman Research Day, Aultman Hospital, Canton, OH, May 2011.
• Kannan A, Poongkunran C, Nagajothi N, Nelson K. Angiotensin Blocking Drug Therapy (ABDT) is associated with post operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) in cardiac surgery patients- Meta Analysis and Systematic Review- 16th World Congress on Heart Disease, Annual Scientific Sessions 2011, Vancouver, Canada. July 2011.
• Chithra P, Chandrikha C, Kannan AS, Srinath S. Prevalence and characteristics of subtypes of dyspepsia using ROME III Criteria- do we need to add few more? Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2008; 23 (Suppl. 5): A116–A163.