Cardiovascular health conference kicks off in Amman

AMMAN — The Third Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) - Middle East and North Africa Congress kicked off on Thursday in Amman. 

The event, organised by the Interventional Cardiovascular Innovation Group (ICIG) and the US Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), saw the participation of 57 speakers and over 350 specialist attendees, including 100 doctors from the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Yemen, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Canada. 

Addressing the gathering, Minister of Health Feras Al Hawari said that heart disease is the leading cause of death, both in the Middle East and around the world. Moreover, the problem is accelerating across the Arab region, due largely to the high prevalence of risk factors such as smoking, obesity, diabetes and blood pressure conditions. 

ICIG  President Hatem Abadi emphasised the leading role taken by military institutions in the development of cardiology throughout the Kingdom, and specifically with the Royal Medical Services, which opened its first cardiac centre in 1983, noting the 214-bed centre has six operating rooms and five rooms for catheterisation.

Abadi reported that the centre conducts 40- 50 cardiac cathederisations daily, and that just last year, 15,000 cardiac cathederisations, 2,000 open heart operations and 95 aortic valve transplants were conducted. 

The two-day conference will discuss the latest scientific studies on cardiac interventions, presenting the results of an initial study on cardiomyopathy and a new study on arterial tortuosity.

On the sidelines of the conference, a medical exhibition was opened with 20 pharmaceutical companies participating, displaying the latest medical equipment in the field of cardiology and cardiac surgery.