Scientific life in 2019

      

December 31
Specialists of Almazov Centre receive presidential grants

The competition commission of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science summed up the results of the competitions for the right to receive presidential grants. Two specialists of Almazov Centre were listed among the winners:

Asiyat Alieva (subject: Study of the effect of denervation of the trunk and distal branches of the renal arteries on the vascular wall of the arteries and hemodynamics of the pulmonary circulation)

Evgeny Mikhailov (subject: Development of methods to improve the quality of medical care through the use of IT and machine learning algorithms to develop personalized approaches to the management of patients with atrial fibrillation)

December 20–21
Specialists of Almazov Centre took part in the All-Russian scientific and practical conference Endovascular Treatment of Aortic and Peripheral Arterial Disease.

The event was organized by the Russian Scientific Society of Specialists in X-ray Endovascular Diagnosis and Treatment and the Russian Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery.

The participation of Almazov Centre specialists in the annual events of scientific societies contributes to their scientific potential. The opportunity to share experience and discuss the problems and major achievements of medicine is crucial for the development of a scientist and a doctor.

December 18–19
Almazov Centre specialists took part in the 3rd Russian Congress of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

The scientific programme covered the issues of comprehensive rehabilitation, practical application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, interdepartmental interaction and continuity of medical care and social rehabilitation. This event placed an emphasis on the problem of chronic disorders of consciousness. Three sessions were devoted to this topic.

The Congress brought together various specialists: healthcare officials, neurologists, cardiologists, intensivists, neurosurgeons, physicians, rehabilitologists, urologists, oncologists, nurses, psychologists, speech therapists, kinesiologists, occupational therapists.

The next meeting of the Russian and European experts on chronic disorders of consciousness will be held in St. Petersburg: within the round table on chronic impairments of consciousness, the following speakers will talk: Professor Daniel Kondziella (Denmark), responsible for coordinating work on the European guideline, leading specialist of the Coma Science Group from the Sharlotte Martial University of Liège (Belgium) (a cooperation agreement has been signed between Almazov Centre and the University of Liege).

December 13
Seminar «Interdisciplinary interaction and myocardial revascularization method in patients with chronic coronary and complex coronary artery disease»

The joint work of an interdisciplinary specialists’ team in treatment of patients with complex coronary artery disease is now included in the European and American guidelines for myocardial revascularization with IC evidence level. The aim of the seminar was to assess the results and the consistency of decision-making by the interdisciplinary team in complex coronary revascularization.

The seminar participants and experts discussed the methods of the risk stratification in cardiovascular complications SYNTAX score, STS score and EuroScore (which allow choosing the right individual patient treatment tactics in terms of maximizing the risk of complications), the advantages and disadvantages of surgical and transcatheter methods of myocardial revascularization, the possibility of conditions for incomplete revascularization and duration of dual antiplatelet therapy.

As a result of the seminar, the specialists came to the conclusion that it is necessary to use an interdisciplinary approach in the management of patients with complex coronary artery disease (ischemic heart disease).

December 6-7
Almazov Centre specialists took part in the 20th Congress of the Russian Society of Heart Failure Specialists

The opening ceremony started with congratulatory speeches by Director General of Almazov Centre and President of the Russian Society of Cardiology Prof. Evgeny Shlyakhto, President of SHFS Yuri Belenkov and Chairman of SHFS Board Prof. Vyacheslav Mareev.

The meetings were devoted to the most topical issues of diagnosis and management of heart failure patients with particular emphasis on an interdisciplinary approach and analysis of the recent European and Russian clinical trials. The congress received great attention from the medical community. The specialists of Almazov Centre delivered 10 presentations, presented 5 posters and gave lectures that sparked interest and lively discussion among the audience.

November 26
Almazov Centre and Skolkovo Innovation Centre signed a Memorandum of Cooperation

Kirill Kaem, Senior Vice President for Innovations of the Skolkovo Foundation and Anton Pavlyukov, Acceleration Director of Biological and Medical Technology Cluster at Skolkovo visited Almazov Centre.

At the meeting, the participants presented the innovative developments. The guests from the Skolkovo Foundation presented a desktop X-ray nanomicroscope and an integrated smart operating room. Specialists of Almazov Centre informed the guests about the projects of its research laboratories. The project “Development and organization of production of linear small-sized static mass spectrometers” was presented. They also discussed the joint project with the Ustinov Baltic State Technical University on the study of various processes, in particular myocardial ischemia, and the joint project with Pavlov Institute of Physiology focusing on the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries.

Considering the mutual interest, Almazov Centre and Skolkovo Innovation Centre signed a Memorandum of Cooperation.

November 23
Conference Space and Medicine: Past, Present and Future

On November 23, Almazov Centre hosted the conference Space and Medicine: Past, Present and Future focusing on the past and recent achievements in space medicine and space biology. A major part of the programme was devoted to the discussion of problems concerning the relationship between human and the natural and social universes from the humanitarian and historical-philosophical aspects, as well as in terms of natural sciences.

The conference covered the issues relating to the history of medicine and the formation of a system of scientific knowledge about individuals, the contribution of medical science to understanding the human nature, discussed space medicine as a branch of medical science, the prospects of biocosmology today and tomorrow, and much more.

The conference was useful to a wide range of participants. It brought together both youth representatives and well-known scientists, representatives of medical science, philosophers, historians, researchers in the areas of natural sciences and humanitarian disciplines.

November 22
3rd Interdisciplinary conference Orphan Diseases: Diagnostics, Treatment, Rehabilitation

On November 22, Almazov Centre hosted the 3rd Interdisciplinary Conference Orphan Diseases: Diagnostics, Treatment, Rehabilitation.

The conference was aimed at highlighting the topical issues of treatment and rehabilitation for orphan diseases in children, diagnostic features and clinical manifestations.

The scientific programme of the conference included lectures, plenary sessions, scientific symposia and interactive discussions. An exhibition of medical equipment and medicines was held.

Today, Almazov National Medical Research Centre continues to expand its competencies in the field of orphan diseases and is the largest institution in the North-West region specializing in the treatment of patients with rare diagnoses. Since the opening of the Children's Medical and Rehabilitation Complex more than 130 children with rare diseases have received qualified medical care.

October 27-31
Almazov Centre specialists took part in the XXIV World Congress of Neurology (WCN 2019).

From October 27 to 31, Dubai (UAE) hosted the World Congress of Neurology (WCN 2019) – the largest event in the field of neurology. Congress organizers are the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) headed by President William Carroll (Australia) and the Emirates Neurology Society (EMINS) headed by Congress President Dr. Suhail Abdulla Mohammed Al Rukn.

The congress brought together more than 4,000 delegates from 120 countries. The Russian delegation included neurologists from medical universities and research centres in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, Samara, Chelyabinsk and other cities. The versatile programme of the congress featured lectures by leading world scientists, scientific sessions, training seminars and active discussions for neurologists to discuss the most topical issues of neuroscience, review current trends and make plans for the future. Brain health for five days was the focus of discussion for all congress participants.

The team of neurologists from Almazov Centre led by head of Neurology and Psychiatry Department of the Medical Education Institute Tatyana Alekseeva gave 19 presentations and posters on various topics including cerebrovascular disease and stroke, dementia, epilepsy, neurorehabilitation and others.

As a major event for the international neurological community, the XXIV World Congress of Neurology contributed to expanding the knowledge and sharing the experience in various fields of brain research, and provided the background for developing new professional bonds.

October 31 – November 1
Scientific and practical conference Modern CT and MRI Technologies in Cardiology and the Workshop on Cardiac CT and MRI

The conference programme was aimed at highlighting the topical issues of using modern CT and MRI technologies in cardiology. The leading experts from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kemerovo as well as from Austria presented their achievements.

The conference featured presentations and discussions on the following topics:

• Diagnostic radiology for coronary heart diseases
• CT scanning of heart defects and diseases of major vessels
• MRI scanning for myocarditis, coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy

The workshops covered a wide range of issues devoted to the use of modern CT and MRI techniques in assessing myocardial perfusion, planning surgical interventions, diagnosing pulmonary embolism and iron overload using dual-energy CT, MRI, and other topical issues.

The conference brought together more than 300 specialists, including radiologists, ultrasound specialists, cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, pediatricians, and general practitioners.

October 15–17
8th Saint Petersburg School of Arrhythmology

The 8th Saint Petersburg School of Arrhythmology took place on October 15–17 as part of the Regional Forum of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery at Almazov Centre. This year’s School saw a record number of participants – more than 600 cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, imaging specialists, biologists, both from near and far abroad.

The versatile programme was devoted to the advanced diagnostic methods, relevant aspects of drug and interventional approaches to the treatment of rhythm and conduction disorders, prevention of complications and reduction of sudden cardiac death risks.

The event featured a course on ECG diagnosis, symposia on pediatric arrhythmology, hereditary cardiomyopathies and sudden death, a workshop on the extraction of endocardial electrodes and care for patients with complications in cardiac pacing. The two-day satellite symposia were devoted to anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy. Also, ECG quizzes and sessions of young arrhythmologists were held.

For the first time, each School participant had so many training opportunities with arrhythmology procedure simulators. They practiced the implantation of a pacemaker, defibrillator, triple-chamber CRT device, catheter ablation technique for supraventricular tachycardia, and atrial fibrillation.

The event featured a total of 12 symposia, 9 workshops and 25 showcase surgical procedures with detailed case study.

October 10-11
2nd Saint Petersburg Lymphology Forum – 21st Century Lymphology: New Approaches and Relevant Research

On October 10–11, Almazov Centre hosted the 2nd Saint Petersburg Lymphology Forum 21st Century Lymphology: New Approaches and Relevant Research.

The Forum was a venue for the leading foreign and Russian experts to share their experience and knowledge. It brought together lymphologists, phlebologists, angiologists, internists, general practitioners, endocrinologists, surgeons, oncologists, cardiovascular surgeons, physiotherapists, rehabilitation therapists, exercise therapists and doctors of other specialties.

The Forum focused on the advances and prospects for lymphology in modern medicine and covered the issues of basic and clinical lymphology, role of the lymphatic system in health and disease, novel approaches and relevant research in oncology, new technologies in surgery, integration, partnership, innovations in angiology and vascular surgery, multidisciplinary approach in modern lymphology, controversial and outstanding issues in the diagnosis and treatment of lymphedema and lipedema.

The forum participants discussed the tactics of diagnosis and treatment of lymphovenous insufficiency, the use of modern dressings, platelet growth factors, which ensure the rapid and complete healing of venous trophic ulcers. More information was also presented on a new method of post-thrombotic disease (PTB): the use of isolated balloon angioplasty, catheter thrombolysis as a method of preventing PTB development in ileofemoral thrombosis, and the effectiveness of endovascular treatment of May-Turner syndrome.

Prof. Waldemar Olszewski and Marzanna Zaleska from the Medical Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences presented fundamental data on the effectiveness of various compression therapy types in the comprehensive treatment of lymphedema.

With its interdisciplinary and practically oriented approach based on the involvement of specialists from various fields, the 2nd St. Petersburg Lymphology Forum provided a valuable impetus for further development of lymphology in Russia.

October 7–9
4th Russian National Congress Transplantation and Organ Donation

The event brought together transplant surgeons, thoracic surgeons, general surgeons, cardiologists, nephrologists and transplant coordinators. At the workshop Solid Organ Transplantation: Solved and Pending Problems, Maria Simonenko gave a presentation “Infectious complications in the early period after heart transplantation”.

The Congress covered various issues of transplantology: recipient management tactics in early and long-term follow-up, including the experience in treating rare post-transplant complications and various comorbid conditions, prospects of transplantology (mechanical circulatory support, biomarkers for the diagnosis of rejection crises, etc.)

Also, the participants had a chance to learn about the first experience of launching transplant programmes in healthcare facilities throughout Russia. The Congress featured the 9th All-Russian Conference Scientific Schools and New Names that presented the results of research aimed at improving the early and long-term outcomes after solid organ transplantation.

September 30
Almazov Centre holds the conference The Latest Advances in Maternal-Fetal Medicine

The conference The Latest Advances in Maternal-Fetal Medicine took place on September 30 at the Perinatal Centre of the Institute of Perinatology and Pediatrics at Almazov Centre.

The specialists and guests of Almazov Centre had a unique opportunity to attend the presentations by the world experts and specialists in fetal medicine – Dr. Gian Carlo di Renzo, Professor and Chair at the University of Perugia and Director of the Reproductive and Perinatal Medicine Center (Italy), and Dr. Ruben Quintero, Chief of the Division of Fetal Therapy at Sidra Medical Research Center (USA). The participants of the meeting discussed the development strategy for fetal medicine at Almazov Centre, as well as the possibility of further clinical and scientific collaboration.

September 26–27
Specialists of Polenov Neurological Institute take part in the 21st Davidenkov Readings

The event focused on various neurological diseases: myasthenia gravis and neuromuscular disorders, neuroinfections, issues of psychoneurology, the problem of pain, neurorehabilitation, etc.

The session was attended by the specialists of the Research Center of Neurology (Moscow) and Burdenko National Medical Research Center for Neurosurgery (Moscow).

The specialists of the minimum consciousness group gave the presentation entitled “Pathological afferentation limiting the recovery of consciousness in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness” presented the experience of assessing pain in patients by the ANI monitor as well as working with ITMO University specialists to create a special jacket for rehabilitation. The jacket has electrodes that assess heart rate variability and recognize the presence of pain in an unconscious patient. It changes color depending on the threshold of pain in a patient, turning red when there is a distinct sensation of pain.

The next presentation was a part of the grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research “Results of hormones and natriuretic peptide in patients with chronic disorders of consciousness”. The report showed that the inversion of the rhythm of cortisol, the predominance of sympathicotonia, is characteristic for patients in a vegetative state and fits into the concept of allostasis.

Also, the participants of the event presented the first results of studies for sex hormones in women of reproductive age in a vegetative state and discussed the prospects for the use of hormone replacement therapy in this category of patients.

September 24–26
Russian National Congress of Cardiology

The annual Russian National Congress of Cardiology is a major event for Russian cardiologists and other associated specialties. The programme featured lectures, plenary sessions, scientific symposia, training workshops, clinical case discussions, breakout and poster sessions, young scientists’ competition and trainings for practitioners.

The event focused on the scientific advancements, current clinical issues in cardiology and public health. Prof. Evgeny Shlyakhto, Director General of Almazov Centre and President of the Russian Society of Cardiology, gave a presentation on the role of the Society in the implementation of the National Healthcare Project.

The Congress was a venue for cardiologists and doctors of related specialties to share their knowledge and experiences with the leading Russian and foreign specialists.

The Russian National Congress of Cardiology brought together 4,617 participants from 28 countries. At the Congress Almazov Centre specialists presented 7 oral reports and 10 posters, published 45 abstracts.

September 24
The opening ceremony of the Russian National Congress of Cardiology

After the welcome words received from Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova, the Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeny Kuivashev opened the Congress and welcomed the participants.

Prof. Evgeny Shlyakhto, Director General of Almazov Centre and President of the Russian Society of Cardiology, gave a presentation on the role of the Society in the implementation of the National Healthcare Project.

At the end of the opening ceremony, awards of the Russian Society of Cardiology and of the Young Scientists Competition 2019 were presented.

September 15-18
European Society for Organ Transplantation Congress 2019

The event brought together transplantologists, surgeons, cardiologists, nephrologists, immunogeneticists and transplant coordinators from all over the world.

Within the framework of the congress, the Almazov Centre specialists presented oral reports: Outcomes of Mechanical Circulatory Support Implantation in Heart Transplantation Waiting List, Outcomes of ECMO after Heart Transplantation, including a report at the session of young transplantologists Shark Tank — Outpatient Follow-Up after Heart Transplantation: Almazov National Medical Research Center's Experience.

The congress highlighted various aspects of organ transplantation — from the prospects of mechanical circulatory support in the waiting list for heart transplantation to the tactics of managing recipients in the early and long-term periods of the patient follow-up. Additional symposia were also organized on the immunosuppressive therapy after transplantation, managing patients with a diagnosed crisis of humoral rejection, and the effect of infectious complications on long-term results.

September 19-21
Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology in Vienna

The 58th Annual European Society of Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting (ESPE 2019) was held on 19-21 September in Vienna, Austria. This is a major international event bringing together pediatric endocrinologists from all over the world.

Irina Nikitina, Head of Research Laboratory for Paediatric Endocrinology at Almazov Centre, presented the poster “Kisspeptin levels is a new diagnostic approach of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in boys” (authors: I. Nikitina, Yu. Yukhlina, I. Nagornaya, I. Kelmanson, E. Grineva).

The poster presented the results of research on the mechanisms of sexual development in delayed puberty and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Also, as an ESPE member, Irina Nikitina took part in a number of sessions related to scientific and organizational decisions aimed at the development of paediatric endocrinology as both clinical and scientific specialty.

September 11-13
Moscow hosted the 5th Anniversary Russian Congress of Laboratory Medicine, a major professional event in the field of laboratory medicine.

Ten specialists and PhD students of Almazov Centre took part in the Congress. They held 2 independent symposia and delivered 15 presentations.

The event brought together more than 9,000 participants, including laboratory medicine specialists and clinicians, public health officials, representatives of science and industry from all Russian regions (625 cities).

The Congress featured 72 scientific and practical sessions, 6 round table and panel discussions, 36 satellite symposia and workshops with the participation of over 450 Russian and foreign speakers. This year’s event attracted more foreign colleagues: 480 specialists in laboratory medicine from 16 countries of the near and far abroad. The 5th International Exhibition «Laboratory City» was held during the Congress.

September 11-13
St. Petersburg Septic Forum 2019

The interregional scientific and practical conference with international participation St. Petersburg Septic Forum 2019 took place on September 11–13.

For the first time, this forum featured the special session entitled “Recurrent hospital infections in prolonged disorders of consciousness”. The moderators were first deputy chair of St. Petersburg Health Committee A. Sarana, chief rehabilitation specialist of St. Petersburg S. Makarenko and head of the Study Group on Minimally Conscious State E. Kondratieva.

At this session, the specialists of the Study Group on Minimally Conscious State gave two presentations supported by a grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research.

The presentation “Comprehensive evaluation of pro-inflammatory markers in the diagnosis of bacterial complications in patients in a vegetative state” provided analysis of the changes in laboratory tests in meningitis and pneumonia in 54 patients with chronic disorders of consciousness.

1. Kondratieva gave a presentation “The combination of pro- and anti-inflammatory factors in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness” showing the analytic results for the course of the systemic inflammatory response and changes in stress hormones in 289 patients with chronic disorders of consciousness.
2. Ivanov, head of the Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Department in his presentation “Nosocomial infections in patients with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis – treatment and therapy features”, presented the experience of Almazov Centre in treating patients with autoimmune brain disease. The participants discussed the difficulties in managing these patients with immunosuppressive therapy and clinical cases of patients successfully treated at Almazov Centre.

June 5–8
17th European Congress of Clinical Neurophysiology in Warsaw (Poland)

The Congress takes place every two years. It is a key event in this field. The event brought together more than 600 scientists from universities and research centres in 75 countries.

Specialists of Polenov Neurosurgical Institute took an active part in Congress. The specialists of Clinical Neurophysiology Department headed by Prof. M. Alexandrov presented six posters.

The posters by young scientists and PhD students E. Povalyukhina, N. Arkhipova and O. Toporkova aroused much interest. They presented new results of the analysis of the high-frequency activity in the cerebral cortex in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (N. Arkhipova), dynamic EEG criteria for the diagnosis of non-convulsive status epilepticus in severe brain injury (E. Povalyukhina), pharmacodynamic models for the generation of brain bioelectric activity under general anesthetics (O. Toporkova).

The Congress presented the latest advancements in all areas of clinical neurophysiology and was a venue to share knowledge and experience as well as to apply for participation in further studies thus enhancing international cooperation.

The programme of the Congress featured plenary sessions, symposia in various areas of neurophysiology, educational courses and workshops in English.

July 11-13
II Congress of the Eurasian Community of Pediatric Neurosurgeons and ISPN International School in Nur-Sultan (Republic of Kazakhstan)

More than 250 leading experts from 15 countries took part in the Congress, among them: Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Ukraine, Germany, Brazil, Israel, China, USA, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The scientific program of the II Congress of the Eurasian Community of Pediatric Neurosurgeons (ESDN) covered the most important issues in the field of pediatric neurosurgery: discussion of the problems of hydrocephalus, congenital malformations, trauma, neuro-oncology, functional neurosurgery.

The program of the School, organized by the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN), included thematic breakout sessions, plenary lectures, scientists' symposia, discussion of clinical cases. The lecturers of the ISPN International School highlighted the current topics of pediatric neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, childhood trauma and congenital defects.

July 5-7
The 2nd Russian-Chinese Neurosurgical Congress was held in Harbin, China

The scientific forum brought together specialists from the neurosurgical society of China and neurosurgeons from various cities of Russia. Modern achievements in research and practice were highlighted in the reports of leading Russian and Chinese experts. The Almazov Centre specialists presented a plenary report on “Epilepsies caused by cavernomas: neurological and neurosurgical consensus”, 15 abstracts were published in congress report with the current state and promising directions in the neurosurgery main areas.

June 21-24
29th European Meeting on Hypertension and Cardiovascular Protection in Milan (Italy)

The European Meeting on Hypertension and Cardiovascular Protection (ESH) is the largest annual research and clinical meeting for interested specialists. This year’s event took place in Milan, Italy on June 21–24 and brought together about 2,500 participants.

At the Congress, Alexandra Konradi, Deputy Director General for Research and Head of Arterial Hypertension Research Department at Almazov Centre gave a presentation on gender-oriented approaches to managing patients with arterial hypertension.

A particular focus of this year's event was patient compliance as an important determinant for successful treatment of hypertension. According to experts, non-compliance can be considered as a stand-alone cardiovascular risk factor along with dyslipidemia, smoking or sedentary lifestyle.

The Congress featured joint sessions of ESH and specialized societies of other countries. Special focus was given to the treatment of arterial hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease, including in patients receiving hemodialysis; clinical and scientific value of orthostatic reactions; the importance of non-drug therapy.

The Congress was accompanied by a large exhibition where the participants could learn about new fixed-dose combinations of antihypertensive drugs, innovative techniques of cuffless blood pressure measurement and attend a workshop on analyzing vascular stiffness and interpreting daily monitors.

The versatile programme of the Congress allowed the participants the opportunity to learn about modern world trends and innovative developments in the field of arterial hypertension treatment and became the starting point for further scientific and clinical work.

June 22–26
13th European Congress on Epileptology in Bangkok

At the congress, the delegates got acquainted with the latest fundamental and applied research in various fields of epileptology.

Almazov Centre specialists presented 8 posters. The multidirectional research topics covered key areas of research in epileptology with an emphasis on neurosurgical issues. The works of the Center's experts accounted for 24% of all presented Russian posters and 1.3% of world production.

The Congress gave an impetus to active continuation of research in neurosurgical epileptology as the forefront of international research in recent years.

June 21
Saint Petersburg hosted the First Clinical Laboratory Forum for laboratory medicine

The Forum was chaired by Tatyana Vavilova, chief visiting specialist of the Russian Health Ministry for clinical laboratory medicine.

The Forum featured: Plenary session, Round table “Clinical guidelines as a platform for interaction between clinicians and laboratory specialists”, Educational sessions for young specialists and doctors of clinical specialties, Meeting of the dedicated committee of the Russian Health Ministry for clinical laboratory medicine, Presidium meeting of the Laboratory Medicine Federation, Exhibition.

The keynote speech was made by Evgeny Shlyakhto, Director General of the Almazov Centre, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The presentation showed that the goal of the Healthcare National Project is to reduce the mortality rate from diseases of the circulatory system by shifting the paradigm to patient-centered medicine. At the same time, the healthcare model should change from “fee for service” to “fee for value”, where payment will be provided not for the service, but for the result and quality. In this regard, the key megatrends of the health care of the future, according to the words of Evgeny Vladimirovich, should be the cult of the patient's interests, technological hyperspecialization and individualized analytical biomedicine.

The First Clinical Laboratory Forum was held in a constructive and kindly atmosphere of an open dialogue aimed at strengthening trust between society, business and the state, and gave a new impetus to the strategic understanding of the future of laboratory services and medicine in general, the interaction of laboratory diagnostics specialists with doctors of clinical specialties.

June 15-19
XI All-Russian Congress of Neurologists and IV Congress of the National Stroke Association

About 4 thousand delegates and guests from all Russian Federation regions, CIS countries, Europe, North America, Australia and other regions of the world have gathered for the congress which takes place once every 5-7 years. Among the delegates and guests are leading Russian and foreign neurologists, members of the Presidium and the Board of the All-Russian Society of Neurologists and the National Stroke Association, representatives of republican, regional and regional health authorities.

Particular attention in the program was paid to the new medical and invasive technologies into clinical practice as well as organizational, pharmacoeconomic and legal aspects of providing medical care to patients of neurological profile, fundamental research in nervous diseases: molecular mechanisms of damage and restoration of the nervous system, genetic, pathobiochemical and pathophysiological mechanisms of these diseases.

Many presentations were devoted to the latest achievements, including Russian research projects: robots, artificial intelligence and virtual reality for rehabilitation, electrostimulators for the treatment of migraine and epilepsy.

Almazov Centre delegation took an active part in the work of the Congress. The XI All-Russian Congress of Neurologists became a large-scale event that made it possible not only to obtain information about modern world trends and innovative models, but also to present the results of scientific research, demonstrate a high level of the educational process organization, clinical and scientific work in the Almazov National Medical Research Centre.

June 7–8
Interdisciplinary Conference Central Nervous System Tumors in Children: Diagnostic Difficulties and Treatment Prospects

Almazov Centre hosted the first interdisciplinary conference on central nervous system tumors in children providing a venue to discuss diagnostic aspects and the current possibilities of antitumor and accompanying therapy.

Interdisciplinary discussion of clinical cases and the choice of treatment strategy is the key to timely and effective provision of specialized medical care.

The Conference was organized by Almazov National Medical research Centre and the Russian Society for Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Radiotherapy.

The conference covered a range of topics:

• Epidemiology of malignant CNS tumors in children
• Specialized care for children with CNS tumors
• Clinical manifestations, course and prognosis
• Early diagnosis
• Neurosurgical care for children with malignant CNS tumors
• Comprehensive treatment for CNS tumors in children
• State of art: current antitumor therapies
• Morphological and molecular-genetic features of malignant tumors in children
• Challenges of intensification of antitumor therapy using high-dose chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy in children
• Accompanying treatment, delayed effects, rehabilitation
• Clinical case discussions

May 31 — June 1
Angiopicture 2019 Annual Meeting on Endovascular and Hybrid Cardiovascular Pathology

Specialists of Almazov Centre took part in the second annual meeting on X-ray endovascular and hybrid methods of treatment of cardiovascular pathology Angiopicture 2019, held in Rostov-on-Don.

The meeting was attended by over 470 specialists from Russia, the USA, Germany, the Baltic States and Israel.

During the event, lectures and master classes were held on new methods of ischemic stroke treatment, hybrid surgery for lesions of the peripheral bed, treatment tactics for patients with multivessel coronary lesions, drug therapy of oncological and gynecological diseases.

Almazov Centre experts presented the following reports:

Clinical case of endovascular treatment of type III aortic dissection with rupture

Patient with ACS without ST elevation after coronary artery bypass grafting

CPEPH Endovascular treatment

The participation of specialists from the Almazov Centre meets the high international standards, effective work and scientific and clinical achievements in the field of vascular and roentgen-endovascular surgery.

May 24–25
All-Russian Conference with international participation Patient-Centered Technologies in Perinatology and Pediatrics

On May 24–25, Almazov Centre hosted the All-Russian Conference with international participation Patient-Centered Technologies in Perinatology and Pediatrics. The event brought together more than 350 specialists from 17 Russian regions as well as foreign experts: Mark Zilberman (USA), Ola Saugstad (Norway) and Sverker Ek (Sweden).

The programme was intended for pediatric cardiologists, pediatricians, neonatologists, cardiovascular surgeons, obstetrician-gynecologists, endocrinologists, surgeons, geneticists, and other specialists interested in a multidisciplinary approach to medical care in perinatology and pediatrics.

The two-day programme featured lectures, plenary talks, poster sessions, symposia and interactive discussions focusing on some of the hottest issues in perinatology and pediatrics.

The conference featured the training session Diagnosis and Treatment of Fetal Abnormalities. Maternal Factors of Fetal Programming, online fetal echocardiography workshop with video broadcast with participation of Russian and American experts, a training session for pregnant women (maternal nutrition for fetal health, breastfeeding, newborn care).

May 21–24
World-Leading Course EuroPCR 2019 in Paris

The specialists of the Department for X-ray Diagnostic and Treatment Methods took part in EuroPCR 2019, the world's major event dedicated to X-ray endovascular treatment of CVDs. This year’s course took place in Paris from May 21 to 24.

The event brought together over 15 thousand specialists from around the world. It featured more than a hundred lectures and seminars as well as surgery live broadcasts from different cities of the world.

The specialists of Almazov Centre gave the following presentations:

“Aorto-right ventricular fistula after TAVI surgery”

“Reperfusion hemorrhagic complication of acute ischemic stroke”

“Successful treatment of acute ischemic stroke in patients with bilateral thrombosis of the carotid arteries”

The participation of Almazov Centre specialists in such conferences is validation of their effective work and research achievements in X-ray endovascular surgery.

May 20-24
Scientific and practical seminar on Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders

Almazov Centre held a scientific and practical seminar Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders. The event was organized by Almazov Centre and the Russian Society of Bariatric Surgeons.

The structure of the event provided extensive lectures, broadcast surgery with step-by-step analysis of technical aspects, discussions and Q&A sessions. Emphasis in training was on the interaction with bariatric patients, multidisciplinary approach, technical features of bariatric surgery, tactics in case of complications. The major goal of the seminar is to prepare surgeons for bariatric practice.

During the seminar the following topics were considered:

• Obesity, comorbidities and metabolic disorders
• Morbid obesity, indications for surgical treatment
• Safety in bariatric surgery
• Impact of bariatric surgery on metabolic syndrome
• Application of intragastric balloons and gastric banding
• Longitudinal gastric resection
• Peculiarities of patient nutrition
• Monitoring and work with patients in the postoperative period
• Interaction with endocrinologists and psychological support of patients
• Management of patients with diabetes mellitus

Despite the prevailing interest of surgeons in this seminar, therapists, nutritionists, endocrinologists and anesthesiologists also took part in the event. Colleagues gathered from different parts of the Russian Federation and neighboring countries (Moscow, Novosibirsk, Tula, Veliky Novgorod, Kaliningrad, Samara, Kovrov, Astrakhan, Simferopol, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan).

May 16-18
Issues of antibiotic resistance discussed at the Russian-German symposium in Hanover

On May 16-18, the symposium Issues of Antibiotic Resistance was held in Hanover (Germany) within the framework of the Health Working Group of the Petersburg Dialogue Forum established for developing Russian-German relations by expanding the cooperation between civil societies of the two countries.

The purpose of this bilateral meeting was to discuss specific global initiatives to fight antibiotic resistance with involvement of regional stakeholders who can implement these projects with the support of local governments.

The meeting was held under the direct supervision of Andrea Fischer, co-chair of the Health Working Group of the Petersburg Dialogue Forum and Head of Finance and Construction Department, Hanover Region.

The participants discussed the major issues on the agenda:

— the current situation regarding antimicrobial resistance in Russia and Germany

— specific issues of antibiotic resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida auris, Streptococcus p., Mycobacterium tuberculosis

— existing local programs and achievements in this area, as well as government projects aimed at solving this problem.

The representatives of Almazov Centre were Alexandra Konradi, Deputy Director General for Research, and Elena Barantsevich, head of Nosocomial Infections Research Laboratory of the Hematology Institute. Of particular note is the participation of Lyalya Gabbasova, Assistant to the Minister of Health, who has repeatedly represented the Russian Federation at the WHO Assembly on antibiotic resistance.

According to the results of the Forum, the key printed materials of the symposium will be prepared and the draft decision will be adopted based on the provisions discussed during the event.

May 16-18
National Medical Innovation Forum

Almazov Centre hosted the National Medical Innovation Forum that brought together experts from various medical and related fields. This event was organized by the Russian Ministry of Health, St. Petersburg Public Health Committee, Translational Medicine Cluster, and Almazov National Medical Research Centre.

Prof. Evgeny Shlyakhto, Director General of Almazov Centre, opened the Forum with a welcome address highlighting the significance of research in Russia.

The Forum included Almazov Youth Medical Forum to bring together young scientists, residents and students and provide a venue for professional networking as well as informal friendly communication. Daily workshops and symposia were held by the most experienced and competent representatives of the medical community from Almazov Centre and Ultrasound School. Also, the programme offered team and individual medical tournaments, a competition of research papers by students, residents and young scientists. The papers “Diagnostic possibilities of 18F-DOPA PET/CT in various morphological forms of congenital hyperinsulinism” and “Effect of sevoflurane preconditioning of donor hearts in cardioplegia on survival during heart transplantation in rats” won the first places in the research competition.

For the first time, the Almazov Medical Tournament was organized as part of the youth forum. More than 30 five- and six-year students and 139 students of 10th and 11th grades took part in the competition. The competition was held in the form of written tests. The assignments were based on the curricula of medical universities and secondary education programmes in Chemistry and Biology.

The programme of the National Medical Innovation Forum also included poster sessions and an exhibition of biomedical innovations.

April 25–27
The Forum of Young Cardiologists of the Russian Society of Cardiology was held in Astrakhan as part of the annual conference «Caspian Meetings 2019»

The forum was devoted to topical issues of cardiology and cardiovascular surgery.

More than 400 doctors took part in the event, representatives of 22 cities of Russia and foreign countries (Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, etc.) made speeches. The rich program was in parallel at three venues: the main plenary and breakout sessions were organized in the lecture halls; training schools were dedicated to the treatment of chronic heart failure and the prevention of sudden cardiac death and were held on the basis of the Astrakhan Medical University; clinical workshops and master classes on rhythm disturbances, surgery of congenital and acquired heart defects, and imaging in cardiology were held at the Federal Center for Cardiovascular Surgery.

Almazov Centre delegation took a worthy part in the work of the Forum. Two symposiums were held with the participation of the Research Center of Heart Failure of the Almazov Center, including the school for CHF diagnostics and treatment. Young specialists representing various scientific schools from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tomsk, Samara and other regions held two meetings on the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation as well as a workshop to improve the safety of electrophysiological interventions in the X-ray operating room.

The problems of acquired heart defects and diseases of the thoracic aorta were also widely discussed at the Forum. Thematic sessions were devoted to the most relevant surgical aspects of aorta and aortic valve pathology, including strategies to improve the efficiency of surgical treatment and prevent complications during prosthetics or valve repair. The symposia program was prepared by leading cardiac surgeons from the Almazov National Medical Research Centre and Federal Centers of Cardiovascular Surgery (Astrakhan, Penza).

The members of the Almazov Center delegation noted that most of the meetings and master classes of the Forum of Young Cardiologists of the RSC were prepared by the efforts of young specialists. Undoubtedly, such a project has a great future, over time the number of guests and participants will only grow, and the program will become even more versatile and interesting.

April 25–27
9th international scientific congress Sport, People and Health

On April 25–27, Saint Petersburg hosted the 9th international scientific congress Sport, People and Health devoted to the problem of doping in sports.

The main focus of this year’s congress was on crisis phenomena in Olympic sports and ways to overcome them as well as the comprehensive review of the doping problem.

Vasily Shestakov, President of the International Sambo Federation and Chairman at the International Social Organization for the Promotion of Science and Sports opened the congress by reading the welcome address from the President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

The versatile scientific programme included two plenary sessions, three panel discussions, scientific sections, debates, workshops, round tables, and poster presentations.

Among the main themes of the congress are contemporary threats to Olympic ideals and principles; legal, organizational, social, political and economic aspects and contradictions of the modern international Olympic, Paralympic and Deaflympic movements; directions for improving the relationship and activities of international organizations that ensure compliance with anti-doping rules; doping in sport as an interdisciplinary problem; actual problems of modern sports training and health of athletes; advanced practices and innovations of modern sports medicine.

In some cases, there is no unambiguous answer to the question on changes that have occurred in the cardiovascular system are the initial manifestations of a serious disease and even congenital pathology, or they are characteristic of a person who is intensively involved in sports. Another important aspect of the sudden cardiac death in sports is the need to train coaches and athletes in the skills of primary care, cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The use of such skills will save lives.

April 17–19
73rd Republican scientific-practical conference of students and young scientists Topical Issues of Modern Medicine and Pharmacy 2019 in Minsk, Belarus

The distinguished speakers of the opening ceremony at the Belarusian State Medical University (BSMU) included V. Hryshanovich, Vice President for Research at BSMU, F. Vismont, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, and A. Davidyan, Chairman of the Student Scientific Society at BSMU. Yu. Ostrovsky, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, was a special guest of the event and gave a lecture on surgery of the thoracoabdominal aorta.

The students from Almazov Centre E. Sviridov and K. Badmaeva presented their multimedia posters at the session devoted to bioorganic chemistry. The jury praised the high level of presentations by the Centre’s students.

1. Krotova and D. Slobodenyuk successfully delivered presentations entitled “Neurometabolic stimulants” and “Enantiomerism of α-amino acids”. The jury highly appreciated both presentations and highlighted the relevance of the presented issues.

The conference brought together more than 200 participants from Russia, Belarus, Poland, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries in 120 sessions. More than 1,000 abstracts were published.

April 5–6
The Fourth Volga Interregional Scientific and Practical Conference «Topical Issues of X-ray Surgical Interventions» in Ufa

Specialists of the Almazov Centre shared their experience in intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) for carotid artery stenting. As part of the scientific program, plenary and sectional reports were presented by specialists in X-ray endovascular diagnostics and treatment from Moscow, St. Petersburg, the cities of the Volga Federal District: Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Kazan, Saratov, Perm, Ufa, Kirov and other cities of Russia.

During the conference, some operations were broadcast online. The course of the procedure caused a lively discussion among the participants and the presidium of the conference, headed by the academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Chief specialist of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for X-ray endovascular diagnostics and treatment B.G. Alekyan.

Participation in interregional conferences contributes to the integration of the Almazov Centre specialists into research and clinical community for improving the competencies. Such conferences, increasing the educational and professional level, contribute to improving the quality of healthcare.

March 17–19
EHRA 2019 Congress in Lisbon (Portugal)

Congresses of the European Heart Rhythm Association are held annually and have become a key event for the community of arrhythmologists. This year’s EHRA 2019 Congress brought together more than 10,000 scientists and clinicians from around the world.

The Congress presented the results of recent clinical studies in the area of clinical and interventional arrhythmology. It featured hands-on symposia and OR broadcasts from the leading European clinics. Interventional arrhythmologists had an opportunity to discuss the issues of daily practice with the best experts of the international community.

The researchers from Almazov Centre adequately presented their achievements in presentations and posters. The presentation on atrial substrate modification for atrial fibrillation in catheter ablation opened the first day of the conference, triggering a heated discussion among experts and practitioners. At a moderated poster session, they presented a poster on the prediction of wrong triggering of implantable cardioverter defibrillators based on mathematical modeling. The scientific novelty of this work encouraged participants to engage in a lively discussion. The poster session featured posters by a number of specialists from the Arrhythmology Research Department: poster on the remote monitoring of implantable, on cardiac modulation therapy, on gender differences in atrial fibrillation, on atrial fibrillation ablation in patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction.

The informal part of the congress featured a mini marathon, a race of 7 km across the 25th April Bridge. Members of the Almazov Centre’s delegation took an active part in the race and won medals. The last day was marked by a memorable meeting of young electrophysiologists in a friendly atmosphere.

March 22
Almazov Center scientists created a mathematical model for detecting genomic mutations in individual genomes

The new s-dePooler mathematical model reproduces sample mixing and subsequent sequencing. The process of analyzing sequencing results and identifying carriers of mutations is called depulation. As a rule, if there is only one mutation carrier in the samples, it is easy to identify it, but if there are several mutation carriers, it is necessary to automate the search. At the same time, software tools and a universal algorithm for depulation didn’t exist.

Based on the s-dePooler model, specialists compiled an algorithm that identifies possible mutation carriers. It is suitable for analyzing any mixing schemes. The work was carried out as a part of the project supported by the Presidential Program of Research Projects of the Russian Science Foundation.

Our researchers tested the method on a synthetic dataset of the 1000 Genomes and successfully identified 97% of mutations present in less than 10% of carriers.

The s-dePooler model can be used both in medicine to identify gene mutations that cause predisposition to various diseases, and in other areas, for example, in agriculture for breeding work.

This work is part of a study aimed at analyzing key parameters for predicting CVD in patients with diabetes mellitus. This will allow timely identification of high-risk groups and provide new therapeutic options. In the future, scientists plan to investigate other genes where mutations can have potential CVD risk. The authors also want to develop marker systems for predisposition detecting.

March 15-19
34rd Annual Congress of the European Association of Urology in Barcelona (Spain) 

On March 15–19, Barcelona hosted the 34rd Annual Congress of the European Association of Urology (EAU19) that brought together over 15,000 specialists from 78 countries.

The Annual EAU Congress is a major event for urologists from Europe and beyond. It provides a forum for presenting original unpublished data and sharing ideas for urological innovation as well as disseminating evidence-based knowledge of primary clinical relevance. Renal, bladder and prostate cancers were the most studied topics and constituted about a half of all accepted abstracts.

The Congress featured meetings of Russian and foreign colleagues, discussions of topical issues in science, education, applied medicine and agreements on joint research and clinical projects.

March 16
Expert meeting: Chronic Disorders of Consciousness – Clinical Guidelines of the European Academy of Neurology, Multimodal Assessment, Follow-Up and Treatment Interventions

The meeting was planned as part of drafting the first Russian clinical guidelines on chronic disorders of consciousness.

Considering the current epidemiological situation worldwide, heads of EAN Scientific Panel on Coma and Chronic Disorders of Consciousness Assistant Professor Daniel Kondziella, PhD, MD (Denmark) and Charlotte Martial, PhD, MD, Coma Science Group (Belgium) delivered their lectures remotely.

At the meeting, the participants spoke about the stages of care to patients with chronic DoC and highlighted the need to introduce additional rates for compulsory medical insurance in St. Petersburg for this category of patients.

The meeting ended with a discussion on the draft of clinical guidelines on chronic disorders of consciousness.

March 12
Conference «High technologies in gynecology of children and early reproductive age»

The conference was held in the Children’s Rehabilitation Clinic of the Almazov Centre and for the third time at the Centre. Traditionally, new internal and corporate communications of adolescent gynecologists and specialists in related specialties are performed in order to create opportunities for providing effective and timely medical care to children in the Russian Federation.

During the event, the experts discussed the staging of specialized and high-tech care to girls with gynecological diseases, quality of medical care in obstetrics and gynecology, new areas of preventive work, and many others.

Within the conference, an interactive workshop on pediatric gynecology was organized; specialists and a psychologist took part in a role-playing game «doctor-patient». The aim of the game was to help doctors who work with children and adolescents improve their communication skills in order to collect the most reliable patient's anamnesis.

In total, 54 doctors from the Leningrad Region, Veliky Novgorod, Petrozavodsk, Cherkessk, Izhevsk and Yakutsk, as well as students of medical universities in St. Petersburg took part in the conference. The growing interest not only emphasizes the importance of pediatric and adolescent gynecology, but also contributes to the coordinated clinical work and research potential.

March 4
Almazov Centre is among the top three recruiting countries for the ACST-2 trial

Almazov Centre is among the top three recruiting countries for the number of patients with carotid artery atherosclerosis recruited in 2019.

For the second year running, the specialists from the Vascular Surgery Clinic supervised by Mikhail Chernyavsky, MD, DSc, have been taking part in the ongoing Asymptomatic Carotid Surgery Trial (ACST-2), an international randomised trial coordinated by the University of Oxford. The trial has been on track since 2008 and is recruiting patients from 101 hospitals in 33 countries worldwide. Currently, the trial includes 3,220 patients, the target being 3,600 patients.

The trial mission compares carotid endarterectomy (CEA) with carotid artery stenting (CAS) in the long-term prevention of stroke in patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis. It should be noted that the top 10 recruiting countries include Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Austria, Poland and Hungary. Apart from Almazov Centre, there are other Russian hospitals taking part in the trial: Meshalkin National Medical Research Centre and Dzhanelidze Research Institute of Emergency Medicine.

The brilliant interim outcomes of surgeries performed by the specialists of the Vascular Surgery Clinic have shown the high professionalism of the surgical team of doctors and proven the safety and effectiveness of both methods for treating asymptomatic hemodynamically significant carotid stenosis. The team’s achievements were earlier noted at the joint symposium headed by the President of the European Society for Vascular Surgery that took place in Valencia (Spain).

February 19-20
II Internet Congress of the All-Russian Scientific Society of Arrhythmology and the Club of Arrhythmologists of Russia

Along with the specialists from the Research Institute of Arrhythmology of the Heart and Vessels Institute of the Almazov Centre, specialists from the Vishnevsky Surgery Center, National Medical Research Center of Cardiology (Moscow), Federal Centers of Cardiovascular Surgery of Krasnoyarsk and Astrakhan, Research Institute of Complex Problems of Cardiovascular Diseases (Kemerovo) took part at the congress.

During the online congress the specialists from Almazov Center presented the lectures in two blocks: «New horizons of heart failure treatment» and «What is important to know to improve the survival rate of patients with cardiac arrhythmias using modern telemedicine technologies?»

The Congress participants had the opportunity to ask questions to the lecturers online in the chat, to discuss and evaluate the presentations of the colleagues.

For two days of the Congress, about 12 thousand unique connections to broadcasts were recorded. Citizens of 21 countries from 184 cities could take part in the online event! In addition to cardiologists, interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, the program of the II Internet Congress aroused the greatest interest among general practitioners, anesthesiologists-resuscitators, general practitioners, pediatricians, and functional diagnostics doctors.

February 5
Symposium-school «Rare diagnosis in pediatric practice»

The symposium-school was devoted to an urgent problem — improving the care quality for children with rare diseases. Its program was interesting to a wide number of specialists: pediatricians, pediatric endocrinologists, neonatologists, endocrinologists, neurologists, and aimed at the interdisciplinary approach to managing patients with rare diagnoses.

The school was organized by the Health Committee of the Government of St. Petersburg, Almazov National Medical Research Center of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the National Medical Research Center of Endocrinology of the Russian Ministry of Health, and the KAF Foundation for the Support and Development of Philanthropy.

Within the framework of the School, two symposia were held. The first was devoted to general approaches to rare diseases the diagnostics. The presentations outlined the pathogenetic mechanisms of various organic acidemias in this group that predetermine the clinical phenotypes of patients; the participants discussed practical issues of medical care service and presented their own experience in the diagnostics and treatment of methylmalonic acidemia.

The second symposium was aimed at teaching the principles of interdisciplinary care for different groups of rare diseases in children. The lecturers presented clinical analyzes of pediatric patients’ cases and the their family members with confirmed rare diseases that had nonspecific clinical manifestations and a long «path» to the correct diagnosis and, accordingly, the appointment of etiotropic therapy.

An interactive analysis of «problem» clinical cases, discussions about therapy and rehabilitation programs, as well as routing schemes for children with suspected congenital metabolic disorders aroused keen interest of the students.

January 30
New-generation artificial heart implanted for the first time at the Almazov Centre

The surgeons of the Almazov Center performed a rare surgery in a young man to implant a new-generation domestic ventricular assist device designed for long-term mechanical support of the left ventricle.

A 35-year-old man from Kaliningrad was admitted to the Almazov Centre in October 2018 with decompensated chronic heart failure on the background of dilated cardiomyopathy – the impaired contractile function of the heart muscle (myocardium) with marked dilatation of heart chambers. According to statistics, only 30% of patients with this disease survive the first five years.

The Centre’s team decided that heart transplantation should be performed after stabilization of the patient’s condition. In order to compensate heart failure and prepare the patient for the upcoming surgery, they jointly chose the optimal treatment strategy and specialized therapy.

To correct the parameters of central hemodynamics in case of severely impaired systolic function, the first step was to implant the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system (ECMO) with left ventricular bypass. In fact, ECMO is similar to cardiopulmonary bypass, but it is with minimally invasive access through femoral arteries and veins.

Doctors used ECMO as a temporary measure to stabilize the patient and make a decision on further treatment: waiting for a donor heart or implanting an “artificial” one.

The successful surgery gave the patient a chance to survive until a donor heart becomes available for transplant.

January 22-25
Young researchers from the Almazov Centre take part in LINC 2019

The annual Interventional Course LINC 2019, international conference on endovascular surgery for aortic and peripheral arterial diseases. This large-scale event organized by the professional association of interventional surgeons in Germany brought together about 5,000 doctors from around the world.

The conference program covered almost all topical issues of today’s endovascular surgery. The sessions were chaired and moderated by the leading experts in endovascular surgery from Germany, USA, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Japan, China and other countries.

Two specialists from the Vascular Surgery Clinic of the Almazov Centre participated as speakers in five sessions. They gave 5 presentations and presented 2 posters.

The young researchers presented at the conference the results of treatment of aortic and peripheral arterial diseases as well as some complex clinical cases. Their presentations were highly appreciated by the professional audience. After the sessions, a verbal agreement was made to organize a master class jointly with Prof. Ralf Langhoff from Sankt-Gertrauden Medical Center (Berlin).

The conference featured a live broadcast of 83 surgeries. Experienced surgeons from various European clinics shared their skills in performing not only routine but also complex single-stage interventions for aneurysms and aortic dissections, lower limb arterial occlusions and deep vein thrombosis.

Such conferences contribute to the research potential of their participants opening up new facets in their work. The use of various methods and advanced technologies allows doctors to use a personalized approach and helps improve the prognosis and life quality for vascular patients.