Cardiovascular diseases are the leading public health problem in Croatia, with ischemic heart disease being the most common condition in this group. This was stated by the Director of Agram Special Hospital, Prim. Dr. Sc. Mladen Jukić, at the opening of the course ‘MSCT Coronary Angiography in Clinical Practice’. This is a first-category continuing education course approved by the Croatian Medical Chamber, held over two days (March 17 and 18) at Agram Special Hospital.
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Renowned experts in the field of heart diseases from Croatia will deliver lectures over the two days, and on the first day, Prof. Dr. Sc. Zoran Lasić addressed the participants via video link. He began his career at the Rebro Hospital in Zagreb and is now the head of two prestigious laboratories in New York – Lenox Hill and Jamaica.
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The course participants include specialists and residents in radiology, cardiology, internal medicine, and family medicine, as well as radiology engineers, specialized nurses, and health technicians.
Despite the fact that mortality from acute coronary syndrome has decreased in Croatia over the past 30 years due to the development of interventional cardiology, epidemiological indicators from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) classify our country among those with high cardiovascular risk. Therefore, the development of interventional cardiology and the network of primary percutaneous interventions (PCI) has unfortunately not reduced mortality from other forms of ischemic heart disease in Croatia, necessitating additional efforts to achieve better treatment outcomes. The term ischemia refers to reduced blood flow through a narrowed or compressed blood vessel to an organ or part of the body.
Course participants will gain fundamental theoretical and practical knowledge of MSCT coronary angiography – this relatively new non-invasive method that is playing an increasingly important role in clinical practice. The course will also include workshops demonstrating practical knowledge in preparing patients for the examination and their management during and after the examination.
Additionally, the latest guidelines on who should receive this examination will be presented, how it is technically performed by radiology engineers, interpreted by radiologists, and clinically assessed by cardiologists, who ultimately make the final decision on further patient management after this examination. A written exam for participants and the distribution of diplomas are scheduled for the end of the second working day.
Agram Special Hospital was the first in Croatia to introduce the MSCT coronary angiography method into clinical practice back in 2007, after acquiring the then most modern CT device – Dual Source (among the first 100 installed in the world) a year earlier in 2006. The following year, in 2008, the AGRAM Polyclinic in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, also introduced MSCT coronary angiography into its clinical practice, focusing particularly on the prevention and early detection of coronary disease.
Course participants were welcomed by Dr. Sc. Tomislav Novačić, CEO of Agram Life and a member of the Management Board of Agram Special Hospital, who stated that the hospital conducts 40,000 systematic examinations annually, serving 100,000 patients.
The Dean of the Medical Faculty at the Croatian Catholic University, Prof. Dr. Sc. Dalibor Karlović, expressed satisfaction with the partnership with Agram Hospital, given that its experts are involved in teaching at the faculty, while Prof. Dr. Sc. Jadranka Šeparović Hanževački from the Croatian Cardiology Society emphasized the importance of continuous education, primarily for the benefit of patients.
On behalf of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO), the Chairman of the Medical Commission, Prof. Dr. Sc. Miran Martinac , briefly introduced the participants to the history of the relationship between Agram Special Hospital and the HOO, which have become official partners.
Today, on Friday, March 17, the following presentations were held:
- Prim. Dr. Sc. Mladen Jukić: MSCT Coronary Angiography in Clinical Practice – Guidelines, Indications, and Contraindications
- Prof. Dr. Sc. Boris Starčević: Invasive Coronary Angiography vs. MSCT Coronary Angiography
- Dr. Med. Zoran Miovski: Anatomy of Coronary Arteries and Their Variations
- Dr. Med. Antun Zvonimir Kovač, Dr. Med., Lidija Pleš, Dr. Med. Marin Boban: Preparing the Patient for MSCT Coronary Angiography
- Bacc. Radiol. Techn. Mario Zrno and Bacc. Radiol. Techn. Morana Grgić Mihaldinec: Technical Aspects of CT Devices and Imaging
- Prof. Dr. Sc. Ladislav Pavić: Imaging Artifacts
- Prof. Dr. Sc. Zoran Lasić: CT FFR – How Important is FFR in Daily Practice
- Prof. Dr. Sc. Ladislav Pavić: How to Write an MSCT Coronary Angiography Report
- Prim. Dr. Sc. Sanja Šehović: Radiological Interpretation of Aorto-Coronary Bypass
- Prim. Dr. Sc. Mladen Jukić: How to Write an MSCT Coronary Angiography Report? – Cardiac Interpretation
- Dr. Sc. Petar Medaković: Vulnerable Plaques
- Dr. Sc. Tomislav Krčmar: What Endovascular Specialists Expect from CT Aortography
Tomorrow, on Saturday, March 18, the following presentations will take place:
- Prof. Dr. Sc. Robert Bernat: What a Rhythmologist Expects from MSCT of the Heart
- Prof. Dr. Sc. Ladislav Pavić: Non-Coronary and Extra-Cardiac Findings
- Dr. Med. Kata Ćorić: The Role of Ergometry and Ultrasound in Diagnosing Coronary Disease
- Dr. Med. Miroslav Muršić: MSCT Planning – TAVI Procedure
- Dr. Sc. Petar Medaković: Traditional vs. Burdened Coronary Disease
- Academician Prof. Dr. Sc. Igor Rudan: Can the Scottish SCOT-HEART Study Serve as a Model for Designing and Launching
- Dr. Med. Zoran Miovski: FFR and Functional Evaluation of Plaque Stenosis
- Prim. Dr. Sc. Mladen Jukić and Miran Slade Šilović, Key Account Manager, Siemens Healthineers: MSCT Coronary Angiography in the Future
