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WELCOME ADDRESS
The Department of Interventional Cardiology of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center is celebrating 30 years since the opening of the Catheterization Laboratory and organizes the conference Advanced Valve Therapies 2023. The conference will be held in its physical space at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center and the adjacent Eugenides Foundation and will be dedicated to the modern treatment of valvular diseases.
Participants will have the opportunity to watch a series of live broadcasts (live and live-in-a-box). In addition, workshops will be held to help the participants learn (a) imaging techniques (use of computed tomography and transesophageal echocardiogram) and (b) interventional techniques (transseptal, use of peripheral vessel closure devices). Guidelines, modern practice, and future directions will be discussed with reference to specific cases by Greek and International specialists in the field of percutaneous and minimally invasive treatment of valvular diseases.
In the last 20 years in cardiology, great changes have been achieved in the treatment of complex heart diseases. Patients who could not be treated previously due to high perioperative risk and mortality, are now being treated with minimally invasive techniques, such as percutaneous aortic valve replacement. About 15 years ago, for the first time in Greece, transcatheter aortic valves were implanted at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center. The percutaneous treatments now extend to the rest of the valvular diseases (pulmonary and mainly mitral as well as tricuspid which are the next big challenges) but also to other structural heart diseases (eg closure of the left atrium, paravalvular escapes and intracardiac communications).
One of the most important innovative solutions concerning clinical practice is the operation of the multidisciplinary Heart Team. Interventional cardiologists work closely with specialists (clinical and imaging cardiologists, heart failure physicians, cardiac surgeons, radiologists, vascular surgeons, anesthesiologists) to make the appropriate decisions for the treatment of patients. The AVT 2023 conference is addressed to the doctors and collaborators of the Ηeart Τeam who are engaged or want to deal with the modern treatment of valvular diseases.
On behalf of the Organizing Committee
Ioannis Iakovou, Md, PhD
Director of the Department of Interventional Cardiology and Hemodynamic Studies
Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center
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