Spyridon Kourouklis CARDIOLOGIST CLINICAL Associate Director, Electrophysiology, Pacemaker-Defibrillator Department

Education & Academic Qualifications

Academics:

1977-1983: Elementary school
1983-1989: High school
1990-1991: Veterinary School, University of Salonica
1992-1998: Medical School, University of Ioannina

Education:

July 1999 – January 2000: Resident in Internal Medicine, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, 401 General Military Hospital of Athens.
March 2000 – June 2001: General Doctor in Health Care Unit of Angiofillo, Kalampa-ka/Trikala (Compulsory civil service).
June 2002 – March 2004: Resident in Internal Medicine, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, 401 General Military Hospital of Athens.
March 2004 – July 2004: Observer in Heart Failure Unit, 2nd Department of Cardiology, “Evangelismos” General Hospital, Athens.
July 2004 – July 2008: Resident in Cardiology, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hellenic Red Cross Hospital, Athens.
October 2008: Certified cardiologist, Prefecture of Athens.
Certified in the Cardiac Pacing and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs) of EHRA (2012).
Participation in Interventional EP Curriculum, SVT Module (2011-2012) organized by St Jude.
PROCTORING SERVICES (2013-2014) IN MEDTRONIC FOR BIVENTRICULAR SYSTEMS (CRT-Ps and CRT-Ds).
Participation in Interventional EP Curriculum, AF (ATRIAL FIBRILLATION) Module (2013-2014) organized by St Jude.
Participation in “NEW TO LEFT” PROGRAMM, organized by MEDTRONIC (2015) for CRYO-ABLATION OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION.
EHRA Accreditation in Cardiac Pacing.

Doctoral thesis

December 2006 till July 2012:

Doctoral thesis (grade: excellent) on “Sleep Apnea Syndrome and Chronic Systolic Heart Failure. The Impact of non-invasive ventilation on left ventricular remodelling”, Medical School, University of Athens.

Fellowship in Societies, Membership in Journal Editorial Committees

2009 till now Member of the Hellenic Society of Cardiology
2009 till now Member of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)
2010 till now Member of the Hellenic Electrophysiology Working Group
2011 till now Member of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA)

Work Experience

October 2008 – July 2012: Private cardiologist – electrophysiologist in Henry Dunant Hospital of Athens. During these years, I have participated in about one thousand and five hundred procedures for cardiac rhythm devices (1000 pacemakers, 400 ICD’s and 100 CRT’s) and about two hundred and fifty ablations (including complex arrhythmias such AF, VT and left atrial arrhythmias’ ablation).
July 2012 – February 2015: scientific fellow 1st Department of Cardiology of Red Cross Hospital, Athens. Participation in four multicenter studies (BEAUTIFUL, HERCULES, SIGNIFY, ROCKET-AF) and, additionally, in five more studies.
October 2008 till now: Private office.
2013 till now: EP, PACEMAKER and ICD Unit, HYGEIA HOSPITAL.

Education Experience:

Participation in Arrhythmias Lectures for cardiology residents, the last four years, organized by Hellenic Cardiologic Society (HCS).

Clinical & Research Interest

Clinical Interest:

In Electrophysiology and Heart Rhythm Management Devices as well as in heart failure.

Research Interest:

Sleep apnoea syndrome and chronic heart failure. New oral anticoagulants (NOACs).

Books

I have participated in the translation and publication of several cardiology books (e.g. Hurst’s “The Heart”, E. Braunwald/Goldman, “Primary Cardiology”, E. Braunwald, “Atlas of Echocardiography”, “Atlas of Electrophysiology”, “Atlas of Heart Failure”, “Atlas of Cardiology”, Secrets of Cardiology, Manual of Echocardiography etc) as well as of some series of medical journals (e.g. “Harvard Heart Letter”) in Paschalides’ Hellenic Medical Publications.

Recent Publications

Andrikopoulos G, Pastromas S, Mantas I, et al. Management of atrial fibrillation in Greece: the MANAGE-AF study. Hellenic J Cardiol. 2014 Jul-Aug;55(4):281-7.
Zografos TA, Kourouklis SP, Katsivas A. Type 1 Brugada pattern exacerbation and 1:1 atrioventricular conduction induced by vernakalant. Heart Rhythm. 2014 May;11(5):895-7.
Arbelo E, Brugada J, Hindricks G, et al. The atrial fibrillation ablation pilot study: a European Survey on Methodology and results of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation conducted by the European Heart Rhythm Association. Eur Heart J. 2014 Jun 7;35(22):1466-78.
Kourouklis SP, Vagiakis E, Paraskevaidis IA, Kostikas K, Filippatos G. Tailored treatment of sleep disordered breathing in patients with chronic heart failure improves cardiac function. Int J Cardiol. 2013 Jul 23. doi:pii: S0167-5273(13)01159-5.
Andrikopoulos G, Kourouklis S, Trika C, Tzeis S, Rassias I, Papademetriou C, Katsivas A, Theodorakis G. Cardiac resynchronization therapy in Becker muscular dystrophy. Hellenic J Cardiol. 2013 May-Jun;54(3):227-9.
Kourouklis SP, Vagiakis E, Paraskevaidis IA, Farmakis D, Kostikas K, Parissis JT, Katsivas A, Kremastinos DT, Anastasiou-Nana M, Filippatos G. Effective sleep apnoea treatment improves cardiac function in patients with chronic heart failure. Int J Cardiol. 2012 Oct 2. doi:pii: S0167-5273(12)01207-7.
Arbelo E, Brugada J, Hindricks G, Maggioni A, Tavazzi L, Vardas P, Anselme F, Inama G, Jais P, Kalarus Z, Kautzner J, Lewalter T, Mairesse G, Perez-Villacastin J, Riahi S, Taborsky M, Theodorakis G, Trines S; Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Pilot Study Investiga-tors. ESC-EURObservational Research Programme: the Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Pilot Study, conducted by the European Heart Rhythm Association. Europace. 2012 Aug;14(8):1094-103. Epub 2012 May 24.
Kourouklis SP, Filippatos G. Central sleep apnea treatment in heart failure: are we counting chickens before they are hatched? Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2012 Mar;10(3):275-8. doi: 10.1586/erc.12.12. No abstract available.
S.P. Kourouklis, A.G. Manolis. “Cardiac resynchronization therapy in asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic chronic systolic heart failure: a new era of systolic heart failure management?”. HJC 2008; 49: 349-351.
Manolis AG, Kourouklis S, Chatzis D, Kouvelas K, Kyriakides Z. “Irregular ventricular tachycardia underdetected by implantable cardioverter defibrillator device.” Cardiol J. 2008;15(3):281-3.