Conference & Meetings World Supplements Canada Supplement | Page 6

Edmonton
The Edmonton effect
E
dmonton, Alberta,
is a powerhouse for
cardiovascular research
and treatment. This can
be added to an existing strong suit
in Life Sciences and innovation,
qualities that have helped the city
win its bid to host the Canadian
Cardiovascular Congress in
October 2020.
Organisers predict the congress
will bring 3,200 delegates to the
city creating an economic impact
of over CAD$3m.
The state of Alberta has been at
the forefront of heart care for more
than 50 years.
Building on the University of
Alberta Hospital’s achievements
in cardiac care, the Mazankowski
Alberta Heart Institute (Maz) has
accumulated a proud history
of leadership and innovation,
including being the place where
the first open heart surgery in
Canada took place in 1956. The
institute also carried out the first
catheter biopsy of the heart in
Canada (1976).
The Maz puts research into
practice by integrating clinical
and academic environments
and has become a world leader
in complex cardiac care and
surgery.
Meet the Nagendran Brothers
Meet the Nagendran brothers,
both cardiac surgeons at the
Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute.
Jayan specialises in
transplantation, and Jeevan
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CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
specialises in minimally invasive
surgery. The University Hospital
Foundation funded both brothers’
research.
Jayan says they were both
born and raised in Edmonton:
“Family was a big part of why
we wanted to stay here. We
both had opportunities to work
at other centres – but what the
Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute
has to offer is world class. We want,
in our generation, for the Institute
to be considered one of the top
centres in the world.”
Jeevan adds: “From an
academic standpoint, there
are very few other heart surgery
programmes in the country that
combine real science with clinical
care. Being able to join a science
lab construct rather than build it
yourself is a huge advantage. And
thanks to the University Hospital
Foundation’s support, it’s a no-
brainer.”
The University of Alberta is
responsible for all lung transplants
in Alberta, as well as northern
British Columbia, Saskatchewan,
Manitoba, and the territories,
making it the most isolated
cardiothoracic transplant
programme in the world.
Jayan Nagendran also tackled
the problem of a limited organ
donor pool by developing, in
collaboration with Dr Darren
Free, technology that helps lungs
breathe outside the body to
prolong life. It is a technology that
has revolutionised organ donation
1,595
CVICU
Admissions
1,788 CV Surgery Inpatient
Ward Admissions
1,493 Adult Open
Heart Surgeries
370 Pediatric Open
Heart Surgeries
98
5
Adult Transplants (29 Heart,
2 Heart & Lung, 67 Lung)
Pediatric
Transplants