Hearts of Monaco

During a recent interactive conference held in the Grimaldi forum, virtual participants were able to watch live broadcast heart operations.

The Advanced Forum on Mitral Valve Repair was part of a training program accredited by the European Board For Accreditation in Cardiology (EBAC) [1]. Led by Professor Dreyfus of the Centre Cardio-Thoracique de Monaco (CCM) [2], the international event was organized by Edwards Lifesciences [3] in collaboration with the CCM, from where operations involving 5 patients were broadcast to aid learning.

Located on avenue d'Ostende, the CCM was established in 1987 by Professor Vincent Dor and it has now become a centre of excellence in cardiac medicine and surgery. Professor Gilles Drefus took over as head of CCM in January 2010, transferring from the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust in London.

In September this year, CCM became the first Siemens European Reference Center Cardiovascular Medicine [4] when an agreement was signed as the result of 25 years' technical cooperation and as recognition of the Centre's expertise and efficiency.

With a turnover of 36 m euros per year, many practitioners from around the world are attracted to the centre, where around 700 open heart interventions are carried out each year. It has just 40 beds, with a ratio of 1 nurse per patient, and although most of the patients are private, dozens of children from poor countries are brought to CCM for specialist treatment each year.

A congress on cardio-thoracic surgery [5]