Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre Ltd. (EHIRCL), one of the world's largest stand alone cardiac institutions, conducted a two-day Cardiac seminar from 22 to 23, August 2009 at the Hotel Shangri-La, New Delhi. Concerned over the rising heart and blood vessel ailments like coronary artery disease, rheumatic heart disease and hypertension, which is responsible for more than 28 lakh lives in a year, over 300 doctors from across India and the world came together for the seminar on recent advancements in the field of cardiology.

Eminent cardiac specialists from Escorts Heart Institute such as Dr Ashok Seth, Dr Z S Meharwal, Dr Atul Mathur, Dr Nishith Chandra and Dr Sameer Srivastava addressed the sessions sharing various case studies. Sessions in the field of Critical care in cardiac emergencies, stroke, angioplasty, pulmonary embolism (blockage in pulmonary artery), arrhythmia (irregular rhythm of the heart), heart failure, acute myocardial infraction (heart attacks), stem cell therapy, and robotic cardiac surgeries among others were addressed during the seminar

Elaborating on Drug eluting heart stents implanted in angioplasty, Guest Speaker, Dr Hans Bonnier, University Hospital said, "Drug eluting heart stents have revolutionized the way coronary artery disease patients are treated worldwide. With the help of the scientific advances in the field of stent design and drug delivery, the risk of restenosis (repeated artery blockages) has come down to as low as 5 to 7 per cent, making the latest stents extremely safe for patients, obviating the requirement of invasive bypass surgery."

Speaking on the occasion, the seminar course director, Dr Atul Mathur, director - Interventional Cardiology, Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi said, "The knowledge sharing seminars for doctors serve several purposes. The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of health care. It aims at updating doctors' professional knowledge and skills, and it has obvious implications on doctors' attitudes and behaviour."

"These activities are closely related to patient care, and the culture of continuing education has great importance for clinical practice. Through this initiative Escorts Heart Institute will take its 20 years of excellence in world class cardiac care to help sensitize healthcare providers to reduce the risk of medical error and reflect good practices," he added.