Ulrich Sigwart
Encyclopedia
Ulrich Sigwart is a cardiologist known for his pioneering role in the conception and clinical use of vascular stents.
(Germany) where - for several centuries - his family played an important role at the local university. He had his medical education in Freiburg
(Germany), Basel
(Switzerland) and Munster
(Germany). After some years in the U.S. (Boston
and Houston) followed by additional training in Zurich
(Switzerland) he was charged in 1973 to set up an invasive cardiology program at the Gollwitzer-Meier Institute in Bad Oeynhausen in Germany, which became the nidus for the Heart and Diabetes Center North Rhine-Westphalia. From 1979 to 1989 he headed the section of invasive cardiology at the University Hospital in Lausanne
(Switzerland). From 1989 to 2001 he was director of the department of invasive cardiology at the Royal Brompton Hospital
in London
and occupied the chair of cardiology at the University of Geneva
(Switzerland) until his retirement in 2006.
Sigwart believed in the concept of intravascular scaffolding. In 1987, after several years of preliminary work in animals, he published a landmark paper on the use intravascular stents in humans to prevent occlusion and re-stenosis after angioplasty
of coronary and peripheral arteries. In 1994 he introduced percutaneous alcohol septal ablation
(ASA, TASH, PTSMA), a non-surgical method for the treatment of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, which often allows symptomatic patients to avoid open heart surgery. During the years 1974–1978 he created the basis for the automated analysis of hemodynamic data and studied the repercussions of myocardial ischemia
(Sigwart curve) and the performance of artificial heart valves.
Medal 1996,
ESC Andreas Gruentzig
Award 1996,
Doctor honoris causa of the University of Lausanne
1999,
Werner Forssmann
Prize 2001,
Sven Effert Prize 2003,
King Faisal International Prize for Medicine 2004,
Swiss Cardiac Society Grüntzig Award 2006,
Polzer Prize of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
2007,
American College of Cardiology
Maseri-Florio International Award 2007
U. Sigwart and P. H. Heintzen (Editors): Ventricular Wall Motion, Thieme 1984,
U. Sigwart and G. I. Frank (Editors): Coronary Stents, Springer 1992
U. Sigwart: Endoluminal Stenting, W. B. Saunders 1996
Ulrich Sigwart, Michel Bertrand, Patrick W. Serruys (Editors): Handbook on Cardiovascular Interventions, Churchill Livingstone, 1996
Biography
Sigwart has his origins in TübingenTübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
(Germany) where - for several centuries - his family played an important role at the local university. He had his medical education in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
(Germany), Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
(Switzerland) and Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
(Germany). After some years in the U.S. (Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Houston) followed by additional training in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
(Switzerland) he was charged in 1973 to set up an invasive cardiology program at the Gollwitzer-Meier Institute in Bad Oeynhausen in Germany, which became the nidus for the Heart and Diabetes Center North Rhine-Westphalia. From 1979 to 1989 he headed the section of invasive cardiology at the University Hospital in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
(Switzerland). From 1989 to 2001 he was director of the department of invasive cardiology at the Royal Brompton Hospital
Royal Brompton Hospital
Royal Brompton Hospital is the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the United Kingdom .The hospital is part of Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust is a national and international specialist heart and lung centre based in Chelsea, London and Harefield, Middlesex...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and occupied the chair of cardiology at the University of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
(Switzerland) until his retirement in 2006.
Sigwart believed in the concept of intravascular scaffolding. In 1987, after several years of preliminary work in animals, he published a landmark paper on the use intravascular stents in humans to prevent occlusion and re-stenosis after angioplasty
Angioplasty
Angioplasty is the technique of mechanically widening a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel, the latter typically being a result of atherosclerosis. An empty and collapsed balloon on a guide wire, known as a balloon catheter, is passed into the narrowed locations and then inflated to a fixed size...
of coronary and peripheral arteries. In 1994 he introduced percutaneous alcohol septal ablation
Alcohol septal ablation
Alcohol septal ablation is a percutaneous, minimally-invasive treatment performed by an interventional cardiologist to relieve symptoms and improve functional status in severely symptomatic patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who meet strict clinical, anatomic and physiologic selection...
(ASA, TASH, PTSMA), a non-surgical method for the treatment of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, which often allows symptomatic patients to avoid open heart surgery. During the years 1974–1978 he created the basis for the automated analysis of hemodynamic data and studied the repercussions of myocardial ischemia
Myocardial ischemia
Myocardial ischemia is an imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand. Left untreated, it results in angina pectoris, myocardial stunning, myocardial hibernation, ischemic preconditioning, postconditioning, or under the most severe instances, acute coronary syndrome and myocardial...
(Sigwart curve) and the performance of artificial heart valves.
Awards
European Society of CardiologyEuropean Society of Cardiology
The European Society of Cardiology is a membership organisation of more than 70,000 cardiology professionals across Europe and the Mediterranean. It is involved in scientific and educational activities for cardiology professionals and also promotes cardiovascular disease prevention messages to the...
Medal 1996,
ESC Andreas Gruentzig
Andreas Gruentzig
Andreas Roland Grüntzig was a German cardiologist who first developed successful balloon angioplasty for expanding lumens of narrowed arteries.-Angioplasties:...
Award 1996,
Doctor honoris causa of the University of Lausanne
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of theology, before being made a university in 1890. Today about 12,000 students and 2200 researchers study and work at the university...
1999,
Werner Forssmann
Werner Forssmann
Werner Theodor Otto Forßmann, was a physician from Germany who shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Medicine for developing a procedure that allowed for cardiac catheterization. In 1929, he put himself under local anesthetic and inserted a catheter into his own arm...
Prize 2001,
Sven Effert Prize 2003,
King Faisal International Prize for Medicine 2004,
Swiss Cardiac Society Grüntzig Award 2006,
Polzer Prize of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
European Academy of Sciences and Arts
The European Academy of Sciences and Arts was created in 1990 in Salzburg, Austria by heart surgeon Felix Unger of Salzburg; the cardinal archbishop of Vienna, Franz König; and the political scientist and philosopher Nikolaus Lobkowicz....
2007,
American College of Cardiology
American College of Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949 to advocate for quality cardiovascular care through education, research promotion, development and application of standards and guidelines, and to influence health care policy...
Maseri-Florio International Award 2007
Books
U. Sigwart Automation in Cardiac Diagnosis: The Computer-Assisted Acquisition of Cardiac Catheterization Data, Schwabe 1978,U. Sigwart and P. H. Heintzen (Editors): Ventricular Wall Motion, Thieme 1984,
U. Sigwart and G. I. Frank (Editors): Coronary Stents, Springer 1992
U. Sigwart: Endoluminal Stenting, W. B. Saunders 1996
Ulrich Sigwart, Michel Bertrand, Patrick W. Serruys (Editors): Handbook on Cardiovascular Interventions, Churchill Livingstone, 1996
External links
- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/clc.20322/pdf
- http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/s/15667/Ulrich+SIGWART.aspx
- http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigwart