DETROIT – A world-renowned Detroit interventional cardiologist specializing in catheter-based treatment of heart blockages is the only US doctor performing a live procedure during a 14-hour marathon of cases taking place around the world on July 9.

CTO Live Aid is designed to fundraise for the International Red Cross while providing invaluable training to cardiologists around the world. Thirteen cardiologists at 12 hospitals have been invited to participate in the event, which was conceived by cardiologists in Milan, Italy.

“It’s an honor to be asked to participate in such a high-profile event,” said Dr. Khaldoon Alaswad, director of the Catheterization Laboratory at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. “We’re showcasing the advanced work done at Henry Ford Hospital, sharing techniques with cardiologists around the globe. We’ll all learn from each other, with a common goal to save and improve the lives of our patients.”

Cardiologists spend a good portion of their time staying current on the latest techniques, including traveling to other hospitals or conferences to learn from each other. Live cases are typically part of these conferences. Cardiologists sit in a conference hall, moderators sit up front, and they watch and discuss livestreams of cases going on, typically across the country.

That ended with COVID. Few are travelling and fewer congregate, with the threat of COVID-19. The Live Aid event will reboot this type of educational endeavor, with an online livestream from 13 different cardiologists performing cases one after another.

All of the cardiologists are Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) specialists, using miniature catheters and wires to break through totally blocked coronary arteries. The technique improves the patients’ quality of life and allows them to avoid open heart surgery. CTO blockage success is typically 60-70%; Dr. Alaswad is successful in approximately 93% of cases, according to most recent data.

“We are a very busy program at Henry Ford Hospital, so we have plenty of opportunity to achieve success for our patients,” he said. “In 2019, we performed 1200 cases; 220 of those were CTO procedures. But we know that there are plenty more people out there who might benefit from this catheter-based approach.”

Cardiologists participating in the July 9 event also include:

• Jacopo A. Oreglia, Milan, Italy
• Alexandre Avran, Nancy, France
• Mohaned Egred, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
• Gabriele L. Gasparini , Milan, Italy
• Omer Goktekin, Istanbul, Turkey
• Arun Kalyanasundaram, Chennai, India
• Paul Hsien-Li Kao, Taipei, Taiwan
• Dante Lindefjeld, Santiago, Chile
• Kambis Mashayekhi, Bad Krozingen, Germany
• Khalid Tammam, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
• Joao Tinoco de Paula, Linhares, Brazil
• Masahisa Yamane, Sayama City, Japan

The Live Aid event is viewable online only by healthcare professionals. All patients have given permission for their case to be shared during the live event. The event is sponsored by Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan, one of the most advanced research hospitals in Europe, and a number of cardiology device and equipment manufacturers.

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