THE GEORGIAN ASSOCIATION FOR CARDIAC SURGERY
Hope can, and will, heal the world
Another Success of Georgian cardiac surgery
Bokhua Clinic, Tbilisi — The first successful implantation of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) has been performed in Georgia. This operation marks a significant milestone in the country’s cardiological and cardiac surgical practice and highlights Georgia’s growing capabilities in the treatment of complex heart failure.
The operation was performed under the leadership of Professor Zaza Katsitadze, Head of Cardiac Surgery at Bokhua Clinic, by a multidisciplinary team including cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, and critical care specialists.
The LVAD provides mechanical circulatory support to patients with end-stage heart failure who are no longer responding to medical therapy.
The patient has been discharged from the clinic and is doing well.
“This achievement brings a new level of advanced heart-failure treatment to Georgia and strengthens our capacity for complex cardiac surgery and critical care,” said Prof. Katsitadze. “It also lays the foundation for future LVAD cases, transplant readiness, training opportunities, and a national outcomes registry.”
Success of Georgian cardiac surgery
I get great satisfaction from performing the Ozaki procedure (neocuspidization of the aortic valve) because I know that I have offered the patient the best option – creating an aortic valve from his own tissue.
Zviad Bakhutashvili,
Cardiac surgeon at the Chapidze Cardiology Center
In memory of Vladimir Alexy-Meskhishvili.
On July 20, 2021, our colleague, an outstanding pediatric cardiac surgeon, Professor Vladimir Aleksi-Meskhishvili, passed away. He was born on March 2, 1941, in Tbilisi.
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In 1966, he graduated from the Tbilisi State Medical Institute.
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From 1968 to 1989, he worked at the Bakulev Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery in Moscow.
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During his work at the institute, Vladimir Vladimirovich performed several unique operations on infants.
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The desire for constant improvement and gaining new knowledge led him to West Berlin in 1989, where, due to several events, he was forced to stay until the end of his life.
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In Germany, Vladimir Vladimirovich continued to save hundreds of children with heart defects from the USSR.
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From 1990 to 2014, Aleksi-Meskhishvili worked as a visiting professor and leading surgeon at the German Heart Center in Berlin (Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin).
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In addition to his daily activities, the professor conducted extensive scientific work. He has published more than 690 articles in Germany, the USA, and Russia, including 10 monographs. His research interests include surgery and intensive care for congenital heart defects, the use of mechanical circulatory support, valve replacement in children, and the history of cardiac surgery.
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The professor's contribution to domestic cardiac surgery was recognized by the USSR State Prize (1985), the E.N. Meshalkin Prize (2011), and the A.N. Bakulev Prize (2011).
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In 2014, Vladimir Vladimirovich retired and ceased his activities.
In memory of Vladimir Alexy-Meskhishvili.
1941 - 2021
July 21, 2021
