Beginning of interventional angiology at the 4th Medical Department, General University Hospital, Prague
Abstract
Thirty-four years ago (1987), the angiologists began diagnostic and therapeutic vascular interventions at the 4th Department of Medicine, General University Hospital and 1st Medical Faculty of the Charles University, Prague. It represented the important extent in the field of European angiology because at this time, the peripheral vascular interventions were perfomed by radiologists only.
The aims of this change were to shorten significantly the time interval between diagnosis of vascular disease and its treatment, to improve therapy and make it more efficient, to reduce the number of doctors involved in the therapeutic process and to bring better comfort to patients. All those changes were conditioned by shifting the peripheral endovascular therapy to the hands of clinically experienced angiologists.
Formation of interventional angiology at 4th Department of Medicine was based on local tradition in angiology, historically associated with strong and creative personalities, their adherence to angiology as a medical discipline and the ability to motivate young generation of doctors. Furthemore, the skills in the catheter techniques, intensive and acute medicine, vascular pathophysiology, examination of physiologic functions and indications for vascular surgery were necessary.
Some of essential skills were achieved during post-doctorand study and regular work in the Department of Interventional Cardiology, Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague. But in this institution, there were no convenient conditions for angiologists to start peripheral vascular interventions.
Vital role in the formation of interventional angiology as a discipline was played by young doctors and nurses in the Department of interventional angiology, Intensive care unit of angiology and ambulatory care units. They were absolutely confident that the change was meaningful and beneficial.
The interruption of angiology tradition in the 4th Medical Department initiated by hospital administration and non-vascular specialists was difficult to deal with. Nevertheless, members of the interventional team moved (in 1998) to the University Hospital Královské Vinohrady, Prague, where they initiated peripheral endovascular treatment.
During next years, the catheter therapy of peripheral vessels, carotid arteries, aorta, vascular trauma, and acute arterial and venous occlusions was established in the hospital. Today, the teams of interventional angiologists work in many hospitals: Vítkovice Hospital, Ostrava University Hospital, 2nd Department of Medicine in General University Hospital Prague, regional hospitals in the towns of Kolín, Příbram, Český Brod and Mladá Boleslav.