Press Release: St. George’s University (SGU) School of Medicine Graduate Helps Perform World-First Robotic Heart Procedure in Outpatient Facility

St. George’s University (SGU) School of Medicine Graduate Helps Perform World-First Robotic Heart Procedure in Outpatient Facility

Bangkok, 18 July 2022 – St. George’s University graduate Adam Bierzynski, MD ’11, a Grenadian national is making waves in the field of interventional cardiology through the use of robotics in outpatient settings.

As an interventional cardiologist on staff at several hospitals in the Fort Lauderdale, FL area, Dr. Bierzynski performs complex heart procedures on patients in need. He was among the team who performed the first-ever outpatient robotic percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at an ambulatory surgery center.

“The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle. A ‘heart attack’ is when those arteries are blocked and blood flow to the heart muscle stops and that muscle dies,” explained Dr. Bierzynski.

“A PCI is the placement of a stent into the coronary artery that opens the blockage and allows for blood to flow through the artery once again. Typically, this is done in a hospital and the performing doctor is standing at the operating table wearing heavy lead shielding to protect from radiation that is used to perform the imaging.”

What’s different about a robotic PCI is that the performing doctor uses a mechanical arm that advances the wires, balloons, and stents during the procedure in order to open the blocked arteries. This allows the doctor to sit in the adjacent control room and control the robot to perform the procedure instead of having to stand at the procedure table next to the radiation generator. This has only ever been done inside a hospital until recently.

Dr. Bierzynski said, “This first procedure couldn’t have gone better, and the patient was discharged home hours later”, he continued, “Being able to do something that hasn’t been done before was definitely the highlight of my career. My training really helped me to be confident in my ability to execute the procedure safely and address any complications that may arise.”

“Attending SGU was a fantastic experience. The campus is uniquely breath-taking in its location. Coupled with a diverse student body and accessible faculty, I can truly say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time at SGU and would recommend it to anyone considering applying,” he highlighted.

While SGU medical students can choose to start studying medicine in Grenada or the UK, Thai students will have an additional option to study the preclinical portion at Mahidol University International College (MUIC) in Thailand before progressing to the 4-year Doctor of Medicine program with SGU. SGU has Thai graduates currently practicing in the US and UK. St. George’s University School of Medicine is approved by the Medical Council of Thailand and its graduates are eligible to sit for the Thai licensing examination. Should Thai graduates wish to practice back home in Thailand, this return pathway is available for them.

St. George’s University School of Medicine has a four-year Doctor of Medicine degree program for eligible university students, as well as five-, six-, and seven-year Medical Degree Pathways for eligible high school students in Thailand. For more information, submit your interest on SGU website: www.sgu.edu/international-students/east-asia/

For media information contact;

TQPR Thailand

Titichayapon Angsuwapattanakul

nuie@tqpr.com

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