History of the Institute

History of the Institute started in 1955 when M.M. AMOSOV organized for the first time in Ukraine specialized cardiac surgery clinic in the 24-th city hospital in Kyiv. In 1957 this clinic was removed to the Ukrainian Institute of Tuberculosis, renamed in 1961 in Kyiv Institute of Tuberculosis and Chest Surgery. In 1983 this clinic was reorganized in Kyiv Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Ministry of Health Service of Ukraine, since 1993 — it is the Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery (ICVS) of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. M.M. AMOSOV - real member of the National Academy of Sciences and of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. He was the first director of the Institute (1983-1988); since 1988 the Honorary Director of the Institute. At present time the Director of the Institute is real member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and real member of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine G.V. KNYSHOV.

The institute was the first to conduct surgical treatment of heart diseases in Ukraine (since 1955), the institute began to conduct operations with extracorporeal circulation (1958), mitral valve replacements (1963), the first experimental heart surgery in hyperbaric oxygen chamber (1963), implantation of pacemakers (since 1965). For the first time in the world antithrombotic models of prosthetic heart valves were developed and implemented (1965). For the first in Ukraine the Institute began using aorto-coronary bypass surgery (since 1973), methods of pharmaco-cold cardioplegia (1978), foam (1976) and membrane (1985) oxygenators and ultrafiltration of blood (1984) during cardiopulmonary bypass; pulsating and synchronized with the heart cardiopulmonary bypass (1984), surgical treatment of tahysystolic forms of arrhythmia (since 1986), intraaortic balloon kontrapulsation for the treatment of cardiogenic shock (1986) and a modern multi-component fluid therapy, intraoperative autotransfusion in cardiac surgery, the surgical treatment of congenital heart lesions in newborns (1992), a computer simulator for cardiopulmonary bypass was developed (in collaboration) and implemented (1993), since 2000, off-pump operations of aorto-coronary bypass grafting are performed, since 2001, the original method of cold cardioplegia using artificial blood was developed and introduced as well as the method of conducting operations without using of donors blood.

During 25 years of its existence the Institute has become a major scientific, medical and educational institution. The Institute deployed 370 beds, 16 operating tables, with 20 clinical departments, 10 laboratories that are equipped with modern diagnostic and medical equipment. Every year the Institute consults and examines more than 30 thousand patients, performs more than 5,5 thousands heart operations, quality and results of which meet the highest international standards. During the time of the Institute existence more than 120 thousands operations for congenital, valvular lesions and coronary heart diseases were fulfilled, more than 1,000 specialists were trained in this field in the Institute.

Thanks to its own scientific elaborations and standardization of treatment, the Institute is among the five leading European centers of cardiovascular surgery, in terms of the number and quality of operations on the heart and great vessels (postoperative mortality in the Institute after off pump coronary arteries bypass grafting - 0,7%, and the statistics of all USA cardiac surgery centers - 2,2%). Method of correction of the left ventricle aneurysms developed in the institute allowed to reduce mortality in surgical treatment up to 1,4%, while mortality in surgical treatment of this pathology according to the data of the Association of Thoracic Surgeons of the United States for 2006 is 8,4%.

New methods of treatment in acute infective endocarditis were elaborated using total body hyperthermia. The role of artificial hyperthermia to stimulate the human immune system was proved, as a result, the best in the world results of surgical treatment of this disease were obtained (relapses occurred five times less than in other clinics around the world) with the lowest hospital mortality rate in the world - to 1, 9% (compared to the world mortality in surgical treatment of this disease which is 12-28%). The team of authors who developed this method received the State Prize of Ukraine in the field of science and technology in "Medicine" in 2005.

Problem of cardiac electrophysiology in heart failure and arrhythmias, the role of helical type contraction and ribbon-like structure of the myocardium in the process of blood ejection (heart as 2 pumps in a closed damper system) were studied and elaborated according to the level of world requirements. Good results were obtained in valve replacement, surgical treatment of ischemic heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, dissecting aortic aneurysm using method of retrograde cerebral perfusion.

The Institute has a specialized scientific council on presentation of theses in "Cardiovascular Surgery". A chair of Cardiovascular Surgery of the P.L.Shupik Academy of postgraduate education was opened in the Institute in 1992. Chief of the Chair is academician G.V. Knyshov. Permanent courses of information and training on cardiac surgery and cardiology, for both domestic and foreign specialists work in the Institute. Students of Ukraine's first Chair of Biomedical Engineering of the Kiev Polytechnical University (KPI) are trained in the Institute (head of Chair - Prof. V.B. Maksimenko).

The Institute develops through contacts with foreign medical and scientific institutions (Russia, Poland, USA, Germany, France, Holland). Specialists of the Institute obtain teaching, training and share experiences in the leading foreign cardiosurgery clinics. Scientists of the Institute are regular participants of the annual international scientific meetings, namely: World Congress of Cardiothoracic Surgery, All-Russian Congress of Cardiovascular Surgeons, the European Congress of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, World Congress of Cardiology etc. The Association of Cardiovascular Surgeons of Ukraine was established under the auspices of the Institute in 1991 (President - Academician G.V. Knyshov). Association provides guidance of scientific and practical work in cardiac surgery of all cardiac surgery centers of Ukraine. Annual scientific conference of the Association with a wide international participation are conducted annually since 1993.

The Institute is an institution in which advanced technology of health care are elaborated and introduced. This time-tested school of national cardiac surgery, which meets the highest modern level of scientific research, medical care and training.

Director of the Institute - Real member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine Gennadiy Knyshov.