How CTO skills help in managing complex non-CTO PCI cases

Prof Javier Escaned is Head of Interventional Cardiology Section at Hospital Clinico San Carlos (Madrid, Spain). He trained as a cardiologist the United Kingdom before moving to the Thoraxcenter / Rotterdam (The Netherlands), where he obtained his PhD degree in 1994. A skilled interventionalist with over 30 years of experience, he regularly serves as live case operator and educationalist in global events like EuroPCR, TCT or the ESC Congress. He is author of over 400 PubMed indexed scientific articles (h-index 67) on topics that include complex PCI in multivessel disease (principal investigator of SYNTAX II study), left main and chronic total occlusions, and secondary revascularization. His track record in coronary physiology includes being investigator on pivotal FFR trials like DEFER (1998), collaborator with Justin Davies in the validation and clinical implementation of iFR (since 2010), and developer of new methods for the assessment of microvascular and non-obstructive coronary disease. Recent / ongoing trials as Co-PI include ADVISE, ADVISE II, DEFINE FLAIR and ABSORB II PHYSIOLOGY, being investigator also in ILUMIEN I and IV, COMBINE and other studies on coronary imaging. He is currently Deputy Editor for Interventional Cardiology of the European Heart Journal, as well as editor of two large textbooks: “Coronary Stenosis. Imaging, Structure and Physiology”, (co-editor Patrick Serruys) and “Physiological Assessment of Coronary Stenoses and the Microcirculation) (co-editor Justin Davies). Current or recent board positions in scientific societies include EuroPCR, EAPCI, EuroCTO and the ESC Working Group of Coronary Pathophysiology and Microcirculation. Some of his additional interests are philosophy, education and music.

Dr Rasha Al-Lamee is an Interventional Cardiology Consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London, UK. Dr Al-Lamee’s research interests are complex coronary intervention, coronary physiology and invasive intravascular assessment. She designed, conducted and led the ORBITA trial and is the lead author of the primary publication in The Lancet. At Imperial College, she is actively involved in the development and recruitment for a number of multi-centre clinical trials. Dr Al- Lamee has over 40 peer-reviewed publications and has presented at international Cardiology conferences worldwide throughout her clinical career. She studied at the University of Oxford and University College London. She went onto complete her training as a junior doctor on the Barts and the London Medical rotation before being appointed as a Specialist Registrar on the North West London Cardiology rotation in 2006. Dr Al-Lamee has twelve years of Cardiology experience and completed three years of Interventional Fellowship training at Hammersmith Hospital in London. She also spent a year training as an Interventional Fellow under the supervision of Professor Antonio Colombo in Milan. She completed specialist training in Cardiology in 2013.

Dr Roberto Garbo is an Interventional Cardiologist in Maria Pia Hospital GVM Care & Research, Turin, Italy. He is a Director of CTO and Complex PCI program, Board member of EuroCTO Club since 2017 and IVUS guided CTO expert in both antegrade and retrograde approach.