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

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.

Nicola Ryan is a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. She received her medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (2008), followed by Internal Medicine (2011) and Cardiology training (2015) through the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. Thereafter, she completed a prestigious Interventional Cardiology and research fellowship in Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid (2017). Dr Ryan's interests are primarily in the role of intra-coronary physiology and imaging, which she routinely applies in her clinical practice as well as in the clinical interventional research she leads in Aberdeen. She engages as a reviewer for several high impact journals. Dr Ryan is a member of the EuroPCR Scientific Committee and the PCR NextGen group, as well as a member of the European Society of Cardiology fellowship committee.

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 Sidney Lo graduated with honours Sydney University 1988. Internship/RMO/basic physician training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Sydney 1988-1993. Cardiology training Alfred Hospital 1994-1995. Senior registrar Royal North Shore Hospital Feb1996-June 1997. Stanford University, USA Interventional fellowship July 1997-Jun 1998. Faculty member Stanford University cardiology Jul 1998-March 2000. Director CCU Liverpool Hospital Sydney April 2000-2012. Senior staff cardiologist and Director of cardiac catheterisation laboratories 2012-2023. Director of Cardiology since 2024 and Clinical lead TAVI programme. Interests include Complex PCI (including CTO-PCI), novel PCI techniques, STEMI-shock, ACS, Antithrombotic therapies (Antiplatelet and NOAC), Intracoronary imaging and physiology, structural interventions. Immediate past chair, Interventional council CSANZ. ACOR board member. ANZET convener 2019-2025. Co-convener EPIC since 2006 (now Sydney Valves and Sydney Interventions), Director (Australia) APCTO club, Co-director ANZCCT and ANZ-CTO.