History

Department of Haemodynamics and Angiocardiography

The beginning

In 1957 Władysław Laszczak, head of Cracow dr Anka's Specialistic Hospital Thoracosurgery Ward, performed the first catheterization of a heart in Cracow. Two years later, on Kopernika 17 street , a cardiac catheterization and congenital heart disese diagnostic center was set up. The pioneers of Cracow's haemodynamic diagnostics were Stanisław Pasyk, Jerzy P. Dubiel, J. Sękowski and later also Jerzy Szczeklik and Jacek S. Dubiel.

Since 1962 "left-heart" diagnostics and treatment procedures were performed in a brand new haemodynamics and angiocardiography lab on Koprenika 17 street. Jerzy Paweł Dubiel was made the first Head of the Department.

In 1971, in Dr Anka's Hospital a new Organic Heart Disease Ward was organised. Andrzej Heitzman M.D. was the Head of the unit. Right-heart catheterization were performed with portable x-ray apparatus (used previously for bone diagnostics), and the haemodynamic measurements were made with an old generation minograph. At the beginning there were 2-3 procedures conducted each week.

A foundation of the Institute of Cardiology

With the decision of MZiOS from 20.03.1979, the new Institute of Cardiology was set up in Cracow's Mikołaj Kopernik Medical Academy. With the decision of the Rector of Cracow's Medical Academy and Main Provintial Medicine Doctor from 25.09.1979 the new Institute was placed both in the dr Anka's Cracow Spetialistic Hospital and in the clinics on Kopernika 17.

In 1979 the cathlab was transformed in Department of Haemodynamics and Angiocardiography and was included to the new Institute of Cardiology. Each year, on Kopernika 17 street Zbigniew Pyzik, Jacek Dubiel, Tomasz Brzostek and Krzysztof Żmudka were pefroming about 450 haemodynamical catheterisation procedures. In 1979 Haemodynamics Dept. was equiped with a new Siemen's seriograph and a new minograph. Since 1981 a cathlab in the dr Anka's Hospital was menaged by Józef Kopacz M.D. A coronarography was itroduced to Cracow's cathlabs in middle 80's. In 1988, with a great help of Antoni Dziatkowiak and Maria Hoffman, Haemodynamics Dept. in Hospital Jana Pawła II was equiped with new devices from Siemens company. Until 1994 the Head of Dept. was Tomasz Brzostek.

Since 1987 (excluding short periods of time) professor Krzysztof Żmudka M.D. is the Head of Haemodynamics and Angiocardiography Department.

In the 80's in the Department many complex diagnostic procedures, necessary to decide about surgical treatment of organic heasr diseases, were performed. The same time, on Medical Academy's Radiology Department CABG-candidate patients had coronarography procedures. At the end of the 80's, assistants of the Institute (more precise - The Heart and vessel disease Clinics doctors), introduced percutaneous angioplasty.

The newest history

In the 90's, further dynamic developement of the method has taken place. It has become a common technique in a coronary artery disease treatment. It was associated with introduction of a new coronarography aparatus to 2nd Cathlab on Kopernika 17 street in University Hospital in 1997, and setting up 4 new stations (including one aimed to diagnostics and treatment of periferal vessels disease) on the 1st Cathlab in the Hospital Jana Pawła II on Prądnicka 80 street. Despite the therapeutics ward, a new Interventional Cardiology ward was set up, including new cardiologic intensive care stations. Paralelly to equiping Department with necessary devices, a new team of interventional cardiologists was trained. Due to these changes the number and a variety of performed procedures has enlarged. In 2006 Department has changed it's name to The Heart and Blood Vessels Interventional Treatment Center.