Heart Specialists Make History With First Interventional Cardiology Procedures In The United Arab Emirates
7 days ago 
280 views
Two heart specialists from leading UK veterinary group Linnaeus have made history by performing the first ever interventional cardiology procedures on pets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Chris Linney and Fabio Sarcinella, the heads of cardiology at Paragon Veterinary Referrals in Wakefield, Yorkshire, and Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in Solihull, West Midlands, successfully operated on four dogs suffering from pulmonic stenosis.
The highly-experienced duo were invited to carry out the surgeries by the British Veterinary Centre, which is based in the UAE, with all four operations successfully completed using minimally-invasive keyhole surgery rather than an open heart operation.
Chris said: “The British Veterinary Clinic had previously referred a case to Fabio at Willows and subsequently got in touch about a further four cases in need of surgery, inviting us to fly out to Abu Dhabi to operate on these cases for them.
“As the heads of cardiology at two of the busiest interventional cardiology centres in the UK and Europe, Fabio and I doubled up to improve the lives of these four patients.
“It was a pioneering moment for the British Veterinary Centre and a first for the region and the Middle East.
“It’s the very first time that interventional cardiology has been performed in the UAE so, with the fantastic facilities and dedicated staff at the BVC, we have made history in the region!
“It was also the first time that Fabio and I had worked together and now we hope that this will be the first of many such collaborations.”
Fabio added: “With our collective expertise and knowledge, we know we can improve the lives of so many dogs that are living with conditions like pulmonic stenosis.
“Two of the dogs required balloon valvuloplasty, where we use a catheter with a balloon to open a narrowed heart valve, and two required pulmonary stents inserted.
“All four dogs had great initial post-operative results and would be expected to lead happier, healthier lives as a result of these procedures.
“The BVC in Abu Dhabi has a highly-skilled team with experience of mitral valve repair and the clinic was the perfect place to pioneer this interventional cardiac surgery in the region. We’re very thankful to their incredible team for the invitation, collaboration and teamwork.
“A special thanks to the BVC’s brilliant cardiologist José Sacadura Botte for organising, hosting and bringing such joy and enthusiasm to our time there.”
José said: “Thank you to Chris and Fabio for joining us on this project and pioneering veterinary interventional cardiology in the UAE.
“It was an honour to work with them. The passion they put into their work, their commitment to excellence and combined skills led to great outcomes for these four dogs and their families.
“We're all immensely proud of this project and certain this was just the beginning.”
Chris is an RCVS specialist and European diplomate and one of the most experienced minimally invasive cardiologists in the UK and Europe.
He developed the busiest interventional cardiology service in the UK during five years at Willows before joining fellow Linnaeus-owned referral centre Paragon in 2021.
Fellow RCVS specialist and European diplomate Fabio graduated from Bologna University in 2012 and moved to the UK soon afterwards.
In 2016 he started a cardiology residency at the University of Liverpool and since joining Willows in 2021, Fabio has played a key role in the introduction of some of the most pioneering minimally invasive cardiac procedures in the UK.
For more information on Paragon Veterinary Referrals, visit www.paragonreferrals.co.uk or search for Paragon Veterinary Referrals on social media.
More from Linnaeus Group
- Eric's 'feline fine' after expert Wear team remove brain tumour
- Dedicated student wins inaugural vet award
- WMR team save life of RTA cat left unable to walk
- Newborn kitten dumped in field finds forever home after being hand-reared by caring Cambridge vet nurse
- LVS team saves family dog after grass seed drama
4 weeks ago