04/30/2008

Russian interventional cardiologists

Real experience and new opportunities

The 3rd Russian Congress of Interventional Cardio-angiology, held in Moscow in March, showed a manifold increase in the number of diagnostic and therapeutic endovascular procedures on the heart and vessels; a significant improvement in their quality, and highlighted the opening of new Russian centres providing high-tech medical care.

David Iosseliani, Director of Moscow City Centre of Interventional Cardiology and head of the Russian Scientific Society of Interventional Cardiologists

‘We meet every three years to evaluate our real experience and new opportunities,’ said Professor David Iosseliani, director of the Moscow City Centre of Interventional Cardiology and head of the Russian Scientific Society of Interventional cardiologists. ‘As you know, the new horizons are opening in Russian healthcare. Recently the government decided to create 25 new vascular centres in different Russian regions. This decision was explained by the terrible situation of high death rate (45% mortality caused by acute heart attack) but one that will present a big responsibility for our Russian physicians. Is interventional cardiology the new discipline for Russia yet? This area in cardiology developed very quickly in Russia in the last 10 years, but mainly in Moscow and in Saint-Petersburg. We had 20 centres in two capitals and 20 centres in the rest of Russian regions. Now this situation will be change, I hope.’
The Congress’ organisers aimed at a broader introduction of new interventional cardiology achievements into clinical practice and at the establishment of closer contacts with foreign colleagues to reduce a certain isolation of our interventional cardiologists from the rest of the world.

Kostas Spargias, of the Onassis Heart Centre in Greece

The sphere of problems discussed by congress participants was very big, including the influence of patients’ gender on restenoses development after coronary stenting for coronary heart disease; the influence of coronary stent implantation pressure on early and long-term results of percutaneous coronary interventions; the transplantation of allogenic cells to treat dilatational cardiomyopathy; the modern possibilities of helical computer tomography of vessels, and so on.
One of the main plenary lectures of the foreign specialists was devoted to the problem of selection of drug-eluting stents (Dr David Holmes). Cardiologist Kostas Spargias (Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre, Greece) reported on that very complicated area in the modern cardiology – bifurcation lesion interventions. Most of these vessels (about 8-15% of PCI in leading centres) are complex (type C on ACC/AHA class) and require the use of more devices. He described the use of drug-eluting balloons and their potential in bifurcation.
At the end of the congress, the Russian Scientific Society of Interventional Cardiologists announced new, active Board Members.