Improving the quality of revascularization in high risk patient subsets - discussion

Dr Billal Patel is Head of Interventional Cardiology at Lancashire Cardiac Centre (Blackpool, UK). He trained as a cardiologist in Liverpool, He obtained his PhD in Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction from the University of Liverpool. United Kingdom before moving to the Lancashire Cardiac Centre. He has presented TCT, EuroPCR and ACI. His special interests include ultra low contrast PCI, intracoronary imaging, left main bifurcations, mentorship for trainees and education. Research interests include coronary physiology and microvascular dysfunction. Some of his additional interests are Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and hill walking.

Davide Cao is senior research fellow at the Center for Interventional Cardiovascular Research and Clinical Trials at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, where he is involved in the design and management of randomized clinical trials, prospective registries, and many retrospective studies. Davide Cao graduated in Rome, from Campus Bio-Medico University, and completed his general cardiology training in Milan, at Humanitas University. He is now an interventional cardiology fellow at Institute Mutualiste Montsouris in Paris. His research focuses on coronary stents and management of antithrombotic therapy, particularly in high-risk subsets of patients.

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. With over 30 years of experience as interventionalist, he regularly serves as live case operator and educationalist in global events. He is author of over 500 PubMed indexed scientific articles (h-index 74) on topics that include complex PCI in multivessel disease, left main and chronic total occlusions. 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. Editorial work includes two large textbooks (“Coronary Stenosis. Imaging, Structure and Physiology” and “Physiological Assessment of Coronary Stenoses and the Microcirculation) and editorial board positions in scientific journals. Board positions in scientific societies include EuroPCR, EAPCI, EuroCTO and the ESC Working Group of Coronary Pathophysiology and Microcirculation. Additional interest incllude music and phylosophy. He is a recipient of the ESC Silver Medal and the 2022 ESC Andreas Gruentzig Award.

Dr Justin Davies is founder and CEO of Wondr Medical, inventor of iFR, and clinical academic and consultant interventional cardiologist at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.

Dr Mauro Echavarría Pinto is an Interventional cardiologist and currently works at “ISSSTE“ General Hospital in Querétaro, México. He trained clinically in the National Institutes of Health, in Mexico City, and in Hospital Clínico San Carlos, in Madrid, Spain. He holds a MSc degree in Research Methodology, Design and Statistics in Health Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, and a PhD from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is an author of >50 peer-reviewed manuscripts mostly focused on the use of coronary physiology to guide the treatment of ischaemic heart disease.

Dr Vasileios Panoulas is a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, part of the Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at Imperial College London. He has clinical expertise that encompasses both general and interventional cardiology. He is a high volume PCI and TAVI (trans catheter aortic valve implantation) operator with interest in complex high risk PCI and use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) in patients with cardiogenic shock. Dr Panoulas' research interests involve clinical outcomes with new generation TAVI devices, use of MCS in patients presenting with cardiogenic shock, management of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and hypertension. Other interests include speckle tracking and hand-held echocardiography and cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.