On November 23-24, 2017 the Second International Conference “Reconstructive Surgery of the Heart” was held in Kiev.
The event was organized by the Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, which marks the 10th anniversary of its foundation.
Leading cardiac surgeons from the USA, Germany, Lithuania, Great Britain, Belarus, Poland, Romania, Greece, Georgia, Moldova took part in the event. The honorary guests of the conference were the President of the European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery Marian Zembala; chairman of the Kalangos Foundation Afksendios Kalangos.

“We gathered leaders from European countries and from America to discuss the problems that concern them and us, because it is cardiovascular diseases that remain leading, and the majority of people die just because of them, and in Ukraine this figure is twofold more than in Europe. There is something to work on. New technologies that are being developed in the world change the idea of the cardiac surgery that existed five years ago – everything becomes miniature, endovascular, low-traumatic but at the same time at higher cost.
These technologies are much more expensive than those we used several years ago. That’s why we discuss these technologies, listen to the reports of our colleagues, present our results and find the best solutions for us, Ukrainian cardiac surgeons, which will save as many Ukrainian patients as possible, with the budget and with the opportunities that are available today”, said the General Director of the Heart Institute, Professor Borys Todurov.

During the conference, Borys Todurov presented the statistical data and innovative scientific and technological achievements of the Heart Institute specialists in the treatment of patients with heart diseases and stressed that for 10 years of its existence the Heart Institute has become a leading cardiosurgical center that is not inferior to modern world-class cardiosurgical clinics. This was primarily possible thanks to cooperation with foreign partners, including Mount Sinai (USA), the Kalangos Foundation (Switzerland), the Silesian Heart Center (Poland), Kaunas University Hospital (Lithuania). Specialists of the Heart Institute not only attracted innovative techniques of cardiosurgery to Ukraine, but also themselves became carriers of excellence, which are regularly exchanged with their foreign counterparts.

Thanks to the introduction of the latest technologies, the number of surgical interventions conducted at the Heart Institute has been increased almost 2.5 times: from 2490 (in 2011) – to more than 6000 (in 2017).
It was at the Heart Institute that for the first time in Ukraine, mechanical heart implantation, ultrasonic decalcification of the valve, implanted biodegradable stent into the coronary artery, endovascular aortic prosthesis with an aortic arch aneurysm and other unique operations were performed.

Alan Stewart (Mount Sinai Hospital Clinic, New York, USA), who comes to Ukraine for the second time to visit the Heart Institute, stressed: “The level of training of Ukrainian doctors is fantastic. I am very impressed with their professional background. After all, despite the lack of necessary equipment, Ukrainian cardiosurgeons manage to perform unique operations”.

Modern cardiac surgery is developing rapidly in the world – said Borys Todurov. “Therefore, we need to maintain this level, monitor innovations, introduce them in our area in order to save lives. Therefore, we are ready to further deepen our cooperation in the world, exchange professional experience, information, general developments and implementation of innovative methods.

The conference was held in a friendly atmosphere; interesting reports were presented and vivid discussions took place. No less interesting and fruitful was the children’s cardiosurgical session. The Congress was not just a cycle of reports of outstanding cardiac surgeons – it was a meeting of like-minded people, masters of their cause; a gathering of a united world team who are most anxious to save human lives.
There are new meetings ahead, exchange of experience and further cooperation between the Heart Institute and the world’s leading clinics.

During the conference, the following foreign experts made presentations on modern achievements in cardiac surgery:

Prof.Dr. Michael Zembala, MD, PhD, FETCS Silesian Center For Heart Diseases, Zabrze, Poland

Dr. Allan Stewart, MD, PhD Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, USA

Prof. Dr. Rimantas Benetis, MD, PhD Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania

Prof. Dr. Afksendiyos Kalangos (Head of Kalangos Foundation), Greece

Prof. Dr. David Anderson, MD, PhD Guy’s Hospital, London, UK

Prof. Dr. Jean Bachet, MD, PhD Paris, France

Prof. Dr. Rudger Lange, MD, PhD German Heart Center, München, Germany

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Lewalter, MD, PhD, FESC University Hospital Bonn, Germany

Prof. Dr. Marek Gierlotka, MD, PhD Silesian Center For Heart Diseases, Zabrze, Poland

Dr. Michał Hawranek, MD, PhD Silesian Center For Heart Diseases, Zabrze, Poland

Dr. Sulkhan Lominadze, MD, PhD Cardiac Surgery Hospital “Open Heart”, Tbilisi, Georgia

Prof. Dr. Tsvetomir Loukanov, MD, PhD University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany

Prof. Dr. Vitalie Moscalu, MD, PhD Republican Clinical Hospital, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova

Prof. Dr. Tomasz Mroczek, MD, PhD University Children’s Hospital, Krakow, Poland

Prof. Dr. Yuriy Ostrovsky, MD,  Scientific and Practical center of Cardiology, Minsk, Belarus

Prof. Dr. Joachim Photiadis, MD, PhD German Heart Institute, Berlin, Germany

Dr. Roman Przybylski, MD Silesian Center For Heart Diseases, Zabrze, Poland

Prof. Dr. Grigore Tinica, MD, PhD University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Gr. T. Popa” Iasi, Romania

Dr. Nikolaos Tsilimparis, MD, PhD, FEBVS University Heart Center, Hamburg, Germany

Dr. Aphrodite Tzifa, MD(Res), FRCPCH Mitera Hospital, Athens, Greece

Prof.Dr. Alex Zhigalkovich, MD, PhD Scientific and Practical center of Cardiology, Minsk, Belarus

Prof. Dr. Aurel Batrinac, MD, PhD Republican Clinical Hospital, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova