3rd Cardiology Department

The Department offers a program of comprehensive cardiology care. It is structured following the bylaws and rules of similar units in Europe and the USA, in a way that all aspects of modern care in both acute and non-acute cardiology are continually available at Hygeia Hospital. It is led by Dr D Katritsis, Hon Consultant Cardiologist at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, and until recently member of the Faculty of Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.

Treatment

Coronary Interventions

All kinds of complex coronary angioplasty are performed, including left main stem bifurcation stenting, retrograde recanalization of chronically occluded coronary arteries, and primary angioplasty for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. Primary angioplasty is the standard of case for acute myocardial infarctions in leading centres of the world, and has replaced fibrinolysis techniques. It is offered by a stand-by team, 24 hours a day. There are also facilities for functional assessment of coronary stenoses by invasive and non-invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR), and intracoronary imaging by ulstrasound (IVUS) and optical coherent tomography (OCT).

Electrophysiology and ablation

The team has extensive experience on every aspect of cardiac electrophysiology, with Dr Katritsis being the current co-chair of the committee for the preparation of the European Society of Cardiology Guidelines for Supraventricular Tachycardias. All kinds of catheter ablation are being performed including ablation for atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, and epicardial ablation. In 1996 Dr Katritsis published one of the first attempts in the world for ablation of atrial fibrillation and since then he has developed new techniques for the eradication of this common arrhythmia. Implantable monitoring devices are available, and there is also a fully equipped dedicated Syncope Unit.

Implantable devices

All kinds of implantable devices are being implanted, including cardiac pacemakers, cardioverter defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization devices for the treatment of intractable heart failure. There is also considerable experience in old intracardiac leads removal and treatment of infected devices and endocarditis. The Clinic runs a pacemaker/defibrillator evaluation service on a daily basis.

Structural heart disease  and valve interventions

Dr Katritsis has performed the first Inoue mitral valvuloplasty in Greece in 1994, and the first balloon aortic valve dilatation in 1995. The team offers all kinds of structural interventions, including Inoue mitral valvuloplasty, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), MitraClip implantation, and closure of atrial septal defects and left atrial appendage.

Renal Denervation

Dr Katritsis has been a pioneer in the development of a program for the invasive treatment of arterial hypertension in Greece. The interest in this technique has been revived following the availability of new catheters and the Clinic now runs an active program for the implementation of this promising, novel technique.

Genetic Cardiology

The clinic runs an active program for the management of patients with inherited cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias and offers facilities for full genetic testing of patients and relatives.

Echocardiography

The echocardiography laboratory offers 3-dimensional imaging, trans-oesophageal echo, and stress echo assessment. Follow-up of the ventricular function of patients subjected to chemotherapy, through assessment of global longitudinal strain, is also available.

Services are offered on a 24h-basis for the facilitation of atrial fibrillation cardioversion, and diagnosis of aortic dissections.

Clinical Cardiology

Diagnosis of therapy of all cardiac conditions in the out-patients and the wards is offered. Members of the team participate in programs for the management of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, and there is an active collaboration with established centers abroad for the performance of genetic testing. The team has experience on patients with intractable heart failure in the need of left ventricular assist devices or heart transplantation. A cardio-oncology service for the assessment, and follow-up of patients subjected to chemotherapy has been established, and our unit of cardiovascular genetics provides facilities for genetic testing of patients with inherited cardiac conditions.

Academic and Research Activities

Dr Katritsis has published over 350 articles in international medical journals on most aspects of clinical and interventional cardiology, and has co-authored several European and American textbooks of clinical cardiology.
In 2019 he was the co-chairman of the Writing Committee for the preparation of the European Society of Cardiology Guidelines on the diagnosis and management of supraventricular tachycardias. He is the Editor in Chief of the journal “Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology Review” the official journal of the British Heart Rhythm Society with Impact Factor of 3 (2023).

He is the first author, together with Professors John Camm of the University of London, UK, and Bernard Gersh, Mayo Clinic, USA, of the comprehensive cardiology textbook “Clinical Cardiology: Current Practice Guidelines”, and with Professor Fred Morady of the electrophysiology textbook “Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology”.

There are several research projects running in the Department in collaboration with teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical School, and Johns Hopkins University in the US, and the University of Cambridge. Current research interests of the team include the study of coronary circulation and myocardial infarction with the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the evidence-based indications of coronary intervention, nanotechnology applications for the detection and assessment of coronary artery disease, and the ablation therapy of cardiac arrhythmias, including supraventricular and ventricular tachycardias and atrial fibrillation, with the use of conventional as well as innovative nanotechnology methods.