After close to a year of planning, the 29th Annual Singapore LIVE (Live Interventions in Vascular Endotherapy) Course, culminated in a learning exchange that was both fruitful and insightful to international and local delegates alike.
Better known as SingLIVE, the course ran a successful four days from 15 to 18 January 2020, and boosted delegates and experts from all over the world. Helmed by course director, Prof Koh Tian Hai, Emeritus Consultant, and a team of internal and external committee members, this year’s event marked NHCS’ second year of running the course independently.
In his opening remark, Prof Koh thanked the participants for their strong, continued support to the course in making SingLIVE the flagship live interventional cardiology course in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
A look at the numbers:
1,100 International and local participants
28 Live case transmissions
25 Countries represented
Missed the landmark event? Check out the daily highlights of the programme.
15 Jan
10th CTO Interventions LIVE Course
The 29th SingLIVE Course kicked off with the 10th CTO Interventions LIVE Course - catered specifically for the challenging field of CTO (chronic total occlusions) PCI (percutaneous coronary interventions). This year’s edition featured numerous live transmissions including a renowned CTO centre, Guangdong Provincial Cardiovascular Institute, China.
Imaging and Physiology Assessment Course
The course, specially designed for interventionists, nursing and allied health professionals, was well-attended with coverage on the use of adjunctive PCI modalities such as IVUS, OCT and FFR measurements in making more qualified judgements in the day-to-day management of coronary artery disease.
16 – 17 Jan | Main Course
Learning from experts
The second and third day of the course showcased new skills and techniques from experts and overseas transmission centres.
The highly regarded and experienced interventional cardiologist in coronary stenting, Prof Antonio Colombo, got all eyes on the big screen as he tackled the complex left main anatomy live from NHCS, together with Dr Chin Chee Yang from the Department of Cardiology. Prof Colombo pioneered the concept of adequate stent deployment during coronary interventions.
Prof Colombo (featured operator in the above live case) is the Director of the Invasive Cardiology Department at San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Columbus Hospital, Milan, Italy. Live from NHCS was the challenging procedure of closing a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a small opening in a developing fetus’ wall between the right and left upper chambers of the heart which usually closes during infancy, carried out on a young patient by NHCS doctors, Assoc Prof Tan Ju Le and Dr Muhammad Idu Bin Jion. Alongside was Prof Eric Eeckhout as the expert commentator. Prof Eeckhout from the Faculty of Medicine and Biology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, holds the appointment of the Director of the Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at CHUV, and is also the co-director of SingLIVE.
Prof Eeckhout (left in above live case) was the expert commentator in the case on PFO closure. Showcasing new techniques
A one of its kind Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) technique by the team from Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, transmitted live from Switzerland, demonstrated how hypnosis by a trained specialist allowed the use of sedation and avoided general anaesthesia while having the ability of arousing the patient if concerns of stroke arose during the procedure.
Dr Jonathan Hill, Consultant Cardiologist from King’s College Hospital and Dr Ho Kay Woon from NHCS demonstrated a new procedure and technology which has been shaking up the PCI scene - intravascular lithotripsy (IVL). They shared how the technology could be used to break up hard plaque in arteries via sonic pulses.
Robotic PIC was showcased by Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
On the local front, the team from Tan Tock Seng Hospital led by Prof Paul Ong, Head of the Interventional Cardiology Department, showed the use of a robotic arm in the assistance of minute but vital surgical manoeuvres.
Hands-on opportunities
The Training Village at SingLIVE 2020 was significantly enhanced with variety of hands-on training sessions. The Philips training village, for instance, displayed the latest equipment with capabilities to conduct an assessment of a myriad of modalities which previously was not available.
NHCS interventional cardiologists also participated actively in the hands-on sessions on various training models and guided younger practitioners in their learning journey.
Prof Koh, seen here explaining about the use of a catheter at the Training Village.
Riding on the interest of Virtual Reality technology introduced last year, participants of the TAVI teaching class had the opportunity to immense in the experience of performing a TAVI procedure - via an all new and improved VR goggle, featuring a 180-degree visual field with 3-dimensional effect.
The all-new VR goggle provided an immersive experience.
Recognising the best
Assoc Prof Paul Hsien-Li Kao from the National Taiwan University School of Medicine was the recipient of the Chien Foundation Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cardiovascular Intervention. The annual award recognises an interventional cardiologist who contributes significantly to the promotion and advancement of interventional cardiology especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
Assoc Prof Paul Hsien-Li Kao (centre), together with faculty members and course directors of SingLIVE 2020.
18 Jan | Post-Course
Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty Workshop
A dedicated half-day course hosted by Assoc Prof Lim Soo Teik, Deputy Medical Director and Head of the Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory, imparted management principles and practical knowledge on the set-up, performance, complications and the latest approaches to BPA.
What’s next: The 30th Edition
With the successful conclusion of the 29th edition of SingLIVE, preliminary works are now underway to celebrate the course’s third decade in the Asia-Pacific region come 2021.
Mark your calendars and let the countdown begin.
