Decision-making and problem solving in complex PCI: interactive case-based learning #2

Prof Farrel Hellig is the Cathlab Director at Sunninghill Hospital (Johannesburg, South Africa) and Hon Professor of Cardiology at the University of Cape Town. He is involved in both the coronary and structural cardiac fields as well as peripheral interventions. Sunninghill Hospital is a referral centre for complex medical problems. In the coronary arena, his main interests are: complex multivessel disease, left main intervention, management of coronary calcification and chronic total occlusion. He has been active in the field of coronary physiology and imaging. In the structural space, his interests are in valvular disease, septal closure, paravalvular leak closure, LAA occlusion and GUCH intervention. He is active in research, including numerous FIH studies. He has many educational roles, including: director of Africa PCR, numerous presentations and live case transmissions to multiple international congresses and is a proctor for many different procedures. He has numerous publications, editorials and book chapters, and is on the editorial board of Eurointervention journal. In his spare time he plays saxophone, collects wine, cooks, and builds and flies model aircraft.

Prof Javier Escaned is Head of Section (Interventional Cardiology Section) at Hospital Clinico San Carlos / Complutense University (Madrid, Spain). He trained in the United Kingdom as Specialist in Cardiology and obtained his PhD in The Netherlands. Author of >700 indexed scientific articles on interventional cardiology, imaging and physiology (h-index 100) and over 30 years of experience as PCI operator, he regularly lectures and performs live cases at major scientific and educational meetings. He is a recipient of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Silver Medal and the Andreas Grüntzig Award for his contributions to the fiedl fo Interventional Cardiology. Main areas of expertise include complex PCI, intracoronary diagnostics and functional coronary angiography. His track record in coronary physiology comprises being investigator on pioneer FFR trials like DEFER (1998), collaborator with Justin Davies in the validation and clinical implementation of iFR, and developer of new tools for the assessment of coronary microcirculation. Editorial roles include Deputy Editor EHJ, Advisory Editor Eurointervention, editor of the textbooks “Coronary Stenosis: Imaging, Structure and Physiology” and “Physiological Assessment of Coronary Stenoses and the Microcirculation". Recent board positions include EAPCI board / Education Committee Chair, ESC WG Coronary Pathophysiology and Microcirculation, EuroCTO Board. Recent trials as Principal Investigator include ADVISE II, DEFINE FLAIR, SYNTAX II, PIONEER IV, Cerebral-Coronary-Connection (C3), DCR4Contrast, INOCA LongCovid and AID ANGIO. Additional interests are philosophy and music.

Dr Justin Davies is a board member of Monaco Cardio at the Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco, and an interventional cardiologist with over 15 years of experience as a leading educator in the field. His clinical and academic career was established at Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, where he built an international reputation for innovation in cardiovascular medicine. Over the course of his career, he has successfully mentored 15 PhD students, published more than 500 peer-reviewed papers — including landmark studies in the New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet — and holds 20 patents in cardiovascular medicine and technology. He was the co-principal investigator of the DEFINE-FLAIR study, which helped establish iFR (Instantaneous Wave-Free Ratio), a diagnostic technique he invented, as a globally adopted standard in coronary physiology. His work reflects a unique blend of scientific innovation, academic leadership, and clinical excellence. In addition to his research and academic commitments, Justin is CEO of Cerebria AI, where he leads the development of next-generation AI-powered cardiovascular imaging and physiology tools. Under his leadership, Cerebria AI is advancing cutting-edge solutions that integrate artificial intelligence with frontline cardiology to enhance clinical decision-making and patient outcomes. Combining deep clinical expertise with entrepreneurial vision, he continues to guide international ventures through funding, regulatory pathways, and commercialization, while remaining committed to transforming cardiovascular care on a global scale.

Dr Nieves Gonzalo is Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at the Interventional Cardiology Department at Clinico San Carlos University Hospital in Madrid. She obtained her Specialist Certification in Cardiology after training at Clinico San Carlos University Hospital in Madrid. Subsequently, she underwent a research fellowship at Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Rotterdam (The Netherlands) under the supervision of Professor Patrick Serruys, focused mainly in intracoronary imaging and bioabsorbable stents. In 2010 she obtained her PhD with the thesis “Optical coherence tomography for the assessment of coronary atherosclerosis and vessel response after stent implantation”. Her track record includes over 170 articles indexed in PubMed, as well as book chapters in Interventional Cardiology textbooks. Recent research projects as principal investigator includes a study about the assessment of neoatherosclerosis and its clinical impact in patients with restenosis (RIBS IV and V OCT substudy) and research regarding vessel injury and healing evaluation with different stent platforms evaluated with OCT (VISTA study). Dr Gonzalo is a dedicated educationalist with involvement in many areas of complex PCI, serving currently as Deputy Editor for Eurointervention and Committee Member of EuroPCR.

Dr Pablo Salinas is an interventional cardiologist at Hospital Clínico San Carlos in Madrid, Spain. He earned his medical degree from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and completed his training in cardiology and interventional cardiology at Hospital La Paz in Madrid. He later obtained his PhD from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. With over a decade of experience, Dr. Salinas is a highly skilled operator in complex percutaneous coronary interventions (CHIP and CTO). His expertise also includes patent foramen ovale closure, left atrial appendage closure, and pulmonary embolism intervention. Throughout his research career, Dr. Salinas has authored more than 100 indexed publications and is actively involved in multicenter clinical trials in the fields of PCI, stroke prevention interventions, and pulmonary embolism treatment. His clinical approach emphasizes the refinement of interventional techniques to achieve optimal outcomes while prioritizing the patient’s perspective and experience. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Salinas is actively engaged in education and training at a teaching university hospital with an international interventional fellowship program. He frequently participates in educational events and live case demonstrations. Outside of his professional commitments, he enjoys photography, tennis, and hiking mountain trails.