When do we need to protect embolic events?

Nicolas Van Mieghem is the Clinical Director of Interventional Cardiology and Professor of Interventional Cardiology at the Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam. He obtained his medical degree and cardiology degree at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. After subsequent Fellowships in interventional cardiology in at Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg Genk, Belgium, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, United States and Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, he joined the senior staff of the department of interventional cardiology in the Thoraxcenter in February 2010. Professor Van Mieghem’s academic interest is in complex (calcified) coronary lesions, mechanical circulatory support and structural heart interventions. He obtained a PhD based upon his research in transcatheter valve therapies. Professor Van Mieghem is involved in the percutaneous coronary interventions and structural heart program. Professor Van Mieghem has published and co-authored over 400 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is principle investigator and steering committee member in multiple ongoing international trials evaluating various coronary and transcatheter valve technologies. He is a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology and the American College of Cardiology.

Professor Rajesh Kharbanda is a Consultant Cardiologist Oxford University Hospitals, UK with over 20 years of experience in treating patients with a wide range of heart conditions including angina, valve disease, heart failure and irregular heart rhythm. He has special expertise in the treatment of coronary artery disease by coronary angioplasty and stenting including complex angioplasty techniques as well as Structural Heart interventions. He has published and co-authored over 240 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and actively involved in international trials evaluating various coronary and transcatheter valve technologies.

Prof. Dr. med. Sabine Bleiziffer is a Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at the Clinic for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. She is head of the Structural Heart Program. The interdisciplinary center organization at the Herz- and Diabeteszentrum is most beneficial for the individual patient in terms of diagnosis, risk evaluation, choice of patient-tailored intervention and postprocedural treatment. With the active participation of cardiologists and surgeons, approximately 900 transcatheter valve procedures are performed yearly. Being convinced of the relevance of the surgical part of the heart team, her credo is to achieve the most benefitial approach for the patient in a interdisciplinary setting.

Professor Thomas Cuisset is a senior interventional cardiologist at the Cardiology Unit at La Timone Hospital in Marseille, France. Prof Cuisset is a fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and an active member of the ESC Working Group on Thrombosis.