Reaching for the SCAI: Dr. Yiannis Chatzizisis Plays Prominent Role at Scientific Sessions

Summary
- Dr. Yiannis Chatzizisis assembled and led a panel on coronary artery bifurcations at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) scientific sessions.
- The panel discussed the role of intra-coronary imaging techniques in bifurcation procedures and how you tackle these challenging anatomies.
- Dr. Chatzizisis also participated in discussions on a recent special edition of the SCAI’s journal on AI that he co-edited.
Yiannis Chatzizisis, M.D., Ph.D., had a busy Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) scientific sessions.
The professor and chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine serves as chair of the SCAI bifurcation club.
A SCAI fellow, Dr. Chatzizisis also assembled and led a panel on coronary artery bifurcations, moderating a discussion involving some of the most distinguished cardiovascular medicine physicians in the world. Additionally, he participated in discussions on a recent special edition of the SCAI’s journal on AI that he co-edited.
We spoke with Dr. Chatzizisis about important aspects of his role at the SCAI scientific sessions and his outlook on the industry.
Dr. Chatzizisis, what is SCAI and what were your responsibilities this year at the SCAI scientific sessions?
SCAI is a very respected and prominent global professional society. I’m a member and a fellow and have been participating very prominently in the scientific sessions every year.

The annual conference is an educational vehicle, essentially. This year, I was chair of the SCAI bifurcation club and moderator of sessions dedicated to coronary artery bifurcations. I put together the panel, with esteemed speakers from Europe and the U.S. to speak about the latest in the field.
What was the nature of the coronary bifurcation panel?
We discussed the role of intra-coronary imaging techniques in bifurcation interventions and how you tackle these challenging anatomies.
The guidelines that came out recently recommended intracoronary imaging mandatory, class-one education for interventional cardiologists. As physicians, we should be doing bifurcations with the assistance of imaging.
From there, we talked about “tips and tricks” and the best practices of care—the elements you need to take into account to avoid complications.
You were also involved in SCAI’s special AI journal.
Yes. SCAI has a journal, JSCAI, and I had the honor to edit a special issue on the role of AI in cardiovascular interventions. The issue had 20-plus original papers, reviews and viewpoints on how AI can advance the field of interventional cardiology. At the scientific sessions, in my capacity as editor of the special issue, I presented a summary.
AI can be a vehicle to democratize interventional cardiology knowledge and make that knowledge available to non-cardiologists. AI can make the planning procedures more efficient and cost-effective, boost research and development and speed regulatory approval of devices. And, of course, AI can produce simulations that improve education and training. The future with AI and cardiovascular interventions, in particular, is bright.
And what about AI and clinical trials?
For clinical trials, you can accelerate the process and produce new findings in a cost- and time-efficient way. With AI, we can run virtual clinical trials with patient data to test devices computationally. This information can lead to more targeted work and focused action to identify new ways for positive clinical outcomes.
One final question, Dr. Chatzizisis. Were the SCAI scientific sessions a success?
Absolutely. (Smiles.) It was standing room only for our sessions.
Tags: AI, artificial intelligence, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dr. Yiannis Chatzizisis, interventional cardiology, technology