Dr. Bernhard Reimers, Head of Clinical and Interventional Cardiology at Humanitas, is one of the three authors of the book “Percutaneous Intervention for Structural Heart Disease” published by Springer.
The manual is dedicated to the most commonly used procedures in the field of structural interventional cardiology, with the aim of optimizing results and minimizing risks in treating diseases such as aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, intra-atrial and intra-ventricular defects. The procedures are illustrated step by step and are based on the experience of three of the world’s leading experts in the field.
Changes in Interventional Cardiology
As Dr. Reimers explains: “In recent years, many changes have occurred in interventional cardiology, particularly in the treatment of aortic valve and mitral valve. In a sense, these were small revolutions, such as the introduction of the trans catheter aortic valve system. This allowed the implantation of a bio-prosthesis, without the need for surgical access from the chest, even in patients who previously could not be treated or were undergoing high-risk cardiac surgery.
At Humanitas, we perform about 100-120 such implants per year, and in the last two years we have recorded an intra-hospital mortality rate of less than 1%. These are important results that show how today we have increasingly safe and effective treatments, also thanks to new techniques and new manuals.
In this book I have made my experience available, joining those of the world’s leading experts in the field of interventional cardiology, with the aim of sharing the most used procedures of intervention so that endovascular treatments of valves are carried out with increasing safety and familiarity by young doctors and colleagues who practice structural surgery.
In Humanitas close collaboration between interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery
“Close collaboration with cardiac surgery, led in Humanitas by Dr. Lucia Torracca, is essential, first of all to decide which patients would benefit most from endovascular treatment and which from surgical treatment. In Humanitas the Cardiology Team, with a multidisciplinary consultation, makes this decision.
In addition, discussion about the treatment of any complications would not be possible without the interaction between heart surgeon, vascular surgeon and anesthesiologist, and this is also a practice in Humanitas, which helps to keep our standard of treatment high,” concluded Dr. Reimers.
