Total Arterial Myocardial Revascularization Center of Excellence

The model Cardiac Surgery Center for Total Arterial Myocardial Revascularization (Certified Center of Excellence) of the Athens Euroclinic is staffed by a team of cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists trained in cardiac anesthesiology and extracorporeal circulation specialists.

The Center’s medical team has long experience, having performed a very large number of successful cardiac surgery procedures, with success rates similar to those of recognized centers abroad. The Center’s excellent results can be attributed to the high scientific level of the doctors, the support of the ICU and Cardiac Unit staff, the comprehensive intraoperative and postoperative monitoring, the dedicated perioperative nursing care, and the high operating standards of all Euroclinic departments.

The Cardiac Surgery Center covers the entire range of cardiac surgery procedures, specializing in arterial reperfusion of the myocardium using two internal mammary arteries and the radial artery, surgical corrective valve repair, and surgical repair of acute and chronic aneurysms of the aorta and left ventricle.

The qualified nursing staff of the Cardiac Unit, the Operating Room and the ICU offer top-level nursing care, fully meeting all the hospitalization needs of cardiac surgery patients.

In the last 15 years, the Center has performed more than 4,000 heart surgeries, with excellent results and in line with international standards, also published in international literature.

Special attention is paid to minimizing anesthesia duration, so as to awaken patients in the operating room, and to minimizing postoperative analgesia (surgery without painkillers).

The following surgical procedures are performed:

• Coronary disease: Modern off-pump and on-pump techniques are used to achieve total arterial myocardial revascularization using exclusively as arterial grafts the two pedicled mammary arteries, with or without the radial artery, at a rate of 99.2% and an average of 3.5 grafts per patient (maximum number of anastomoses using arterial grafts: 6)
• Ventriculoplasty: Surgical procedure for left ventricular aneurysms with surgical reshaping of the left ventricle using pretreated autologous pericardium or artificial patch.
• Mitral valve surgery.
• Valvuloplasty for mitral valve repair of the anterior or posterior leaflet:
  • Using the daVinci robotic system.
  • Using intraoperative intraesophageal echocardiogram.
  • Using artificial tendinous chords.
  • Using pretreated autologous pericardium.
  • Using artificial total flexible ring and many more surgical techniques.
• Mitral valve replacement with mechanical or biologic valve.
• Aortic valve plastic repair or replacement.
• Tricuspid valve plastic repair or replacement.
• Pulmonary valve replacement.
• Aneurysm surgery and separation of ascending aorta, aortic arch and descending aortic, and thoracoabdominal aorta.
• Adult congenital heart disease procedures.
• Arrhythmology/Electrophysiology: Atrial fibrillation ablation.
• Complex open-heart reoperations on high-risk patients.
• Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).
• Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

The Athens Euroclinic has a hospitalization ward exclusively for cardiac surgery patients, ensuring exclusive services and dedicated nursing care. The fully equipped ICU is staffed with qualified medical and nursing professionals who undertake the perioperative monitoring of cardiac surgery cases.

Apart from performing clinical work, the Euroclinic Center of Excellence works with the following centers for scientific and research purposes:

1. A) Texas Heart Institute, Houston Texas, USA
2. B) School of Medicine, University of Athens, on coronary disease and atheromatous plaque creation research.

In addition, a large number of clinical studies in partnership with the University of Athens School of Medicine have been presented in international conferences and published in medical journals.

International Coronary Congress:

In 2017, the Director of the Center, Mr. Yiannis Chloroyiannis, MD, was invited to the International Coronary Congress to present the results of his study on “Total Arterial Myocardial Revascularization. Efficacy and Efficiency”.

(http://internationalcoronarycongress.com/program/2017/A01.cgi). It is one of the largest published series of procedures worldwide, which includes the experience from 2,604 consecutive cardiac surgery patients who underwent bypass using exclusively as arterial grafts the two pedicled mammary arteries, with or without the radial artery, by the same cardiac surgeon. As a matter of fact, these beneficial arterial grafts were used in almost all patients, at a rate of 99.2%, when the current average for the use of both mammary arteries does not exceed 5% in the USA and just 1% in Sweden!

Patients treated with arterial grafts enjoy more benefits compared to lower venous grafts, including not just better quality of life, but also highest life expectancy, which may rise to 26% 20 years postoperatively.

Therefore, the main conclusions at the Congress were that arterial grafts must be used more often, despite their demanding cardiac surgery requirements, and become the gold standard, as is the case at our Center.