Professor Di Mario is the team leader for complex coronary artery disease at the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Cardiovascular BRU of the Royal Brompton & Harefield Foundation Trust.
Interventional cardiology is a relatively new field applying percutaneous catheters and other devices to restore blood flow to the heart without major surgery. The field is growing rapidly to include interventions on the heart valves, peripheral vessels and the correction of other structural heart abnormalities.
Professor Di Mario, who is immediate past president of the European Association of Cardiovascular Interventions and councillor on the Board of the European Society of Cardiology, explains: “Increased demand for more interventional procedures has outweighed the number of properly trained new specialists available. Very few countries offer structured training, so it was essential to set up an official programme.”
