PALERMO (ITALPRESS) – “Sicily is capable of expressing realities that certainly live up to the great quality demonstrated by national cardiac surgery in the European and international arena.” Speaking, in an interview with Italpress, is cardiac surgeon Michele Pilato, director of the ISMETT Heart Center in Palermo and the new president of SICCH, the Italian Society of Cardiac Surgery, for the two-year period 25-26.This is an important recognition and one that certifies – in reflection – the excellent work done within the facility that represents excellence for the entire Sicilian territory. “It is a great honor and a privilege,” Pilato affirms.I am not the first Sicilian president, before me there were two illustrious predecessors, Professor Marino and Professor Musumeci, of Sicilian origin who worked, however, in extra-regional hospital realities, particularly in Rome. I am the first Sicilian president to work in a facility, in a Sicilian institute.” The field of cardiology is in great ferment and vitality, as the numbers certify. “For me to take on this role,” he adds, “is also a great responsibility because cardiac surgery is under constant strain from pressing technological innovation, so we need to adapt the training paths of young people and it is our duty to protect the generations to come. The cardiac surgeon of the future “will have to develop not only traditional surgical skills, but also a relationship of sharing and collaboration with the other professional figure who is extremely important in the development of this pathway, which is the interventional cardiologist.” A goal to be achieved starting from the base: “Vitality is given by young people, the last congress held in Rome also showed a female reality that is emerging in an overbearing way,” Pilato explained. “The goals are to ensure a 360-degree training of young people, so the ability to perform the traditional surgical procedure, the minimally invasive one and all the innovative procedures that cardiac surgery can offer today, and to insert it in a context of development also of the personality, which succeeds in guaranteeing sustainability of the procedure and above all humanization. Aiming at the training of young people means guaranteeing the future and reliability in the interest of heart patients. “Cardiac surgery has reached a very high level, and ISMETT also fits into this context: “It is a unique model,” Pilato continues, “in the sense that it is a partnership between the Sicilian Region and the University of Pittsburgh that has created a unique transplant center, a reality in which, in addition to transplantology activity, extremely specialty surgical activity is also performed, with a particular focus on minimally invasive procedures. The reality of transplantology has exploded in the last year and a half; this year with regard to the heart something unexpected happened, we managed to perform 40 transplants. Sicily, from being at the bottom of the list, is now among the top transplant centers nationwide, in terms of the number of operations performed.” -photo Italpress -(ITALPRESS).
