Hakim Hayat

Gleneagles JPMC Cardiac Centre yesterday successfully performed live transmissions of two advanced cardiac procedures from Brunei to the ASEAN Federation of Cardiology Congress (AFCC) 2019 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

AFCC is an annual cardiology meeting inviting delegates from all ASEAN member countries and the region where in addition to workshops and lectures, the meetings also present live transmissions of advanced cardiac procedures from different hospitals.

The event was hosted in Brunei in 2017 and Bangkok, Thailand the following year. This year, officials from Gleneagles JPMC and two hospitals from Indonesia and Singapore are participating in the live transmission.

For yesterday’s live transmission, Gleneagles JPMC performed two different procedures. In the morning, Head of Electrophysiology Dr Sofian Johar performed a procedure called Left Ateial Appendage closure using a device called the ‘watchman’. This procedure reduces the risk of stroke and bleeding in patients with irregular heartbeat.

In the afternoon session, Consultant Cardiologist Dr Rajinikanth and Director of Invasive Cardiology Dr Patrick Ang performed a complex angioplasty (stent) procedure using advanced techniques such as Quantitative Flow Ratio and Optical Coherence Tomography. The use of these imaging and measuring techniques improve the success of the procedure as well as long term outcomes for the patients.

At a press conference held at Gleneagles JPMC in Jerudong yesterday, Dr Rajinikanth said that the aim of these procedures is to share knowledge and expertise among the participating countries, while also giving Gleneagles JPMC the opportunity to showcase their facilities and recent advances in cardiac treatment.

Gleneagles JPMC CEO Dr Peter Tay said the second live transmission from Gleneagles JPMC marks another milestone for surgical advancement in Brunei as the transmission is usually made from sectors that only have full expertise in the area.