In a world without borders the only way to keep people is to pay them well












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            December 1, 2011; by: P.K.; section: Interviews & Portraits

            He has implemented a revolutionary change in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction 
            the lives of hundreds of people the world over. The man in question is MUDr. Petr Widimský
            head of the cardiology clinic at Prague’s Vinohrady hospital. In November, this internatio

            specialist from the Charles University 3rd Faculty of Medicine was granted the National Go
            Česká hlava for 2011. In an interview with i-Forum, he discusses research as well as footb
            Both your father and brother specialize in cardiology. When did this field become close to

            During my studies I concluded that I wanted to specialize in a field where I would use my 
            my hands, so I ruled out the surgical disciplines and opted for internal medicine. I got i

            cardiology during my studies when I worked on the side as an attendant in a mobile coronar
            joined the Clinic of Internal Medicine at the Prague Vinohrady hospital which was then hea
            Vlastimil Víšek. To his question what kind of research I would like to pursue I answered c

            anything but cardiology because I was not going to live in the shadow of my father for the
            Professor Víšek gave me four months to think about it and during that time I found out tha
            perhaps the most interesting part of the whole of internal medicine.

            So you are still fighting your father...
            No, we love each other (laughs). There has never been any rivalry between us, we have a ve
            relationship. My dad never influenced my decisions in any way. I always decided for myself

            positive role model for me.
            So the apple did not fall far from the tree...
            Of course, when I was a little boy, I hated it when instead of playing with me when he cam

            dad would sit behind his desk and work in the evenings and on weekends. I didn’t like that
            happy when he went to play football with me. When I got a little wiser as high school appr
            whole different outlook on that.

            You were honoured with the Česká hlava award this year for your outstanding scientific ach
            do you value the most in your scientific career?
            I believe the greatest achievement so far is the fact that we managed to present our resul

            prestigious sections (the Hotline and Late Breaking Trials sections) at world cardiology c
            as nine times. To my knowledge no other centre in the world has presented nine results in 
            Most often it is commercially financed company studies that are presented there. I believe

            treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction which we have implemented in the Cz
            later around the world is unique.
            How did you manage to implement the revolutionary change in the treatment of acute myocard

            the Czech Republic?
            In the past, heart attacks were treated in the nearest hospital where they lay the patient
            move them and gave them an infusion of a blood clot buster (a thrombolytic drug). Ten to e

            of patients did not survive this treatment. I was lucky to work at intervention centres in
            for two years which pioneered coronary angioplasty, a revolutionary treatment of heart att
            returned to my clinic, we introduced the method and in a year’s time the death rate at our

            from eleven to four percent.
            We put together a study project named PRAGUE where heart attack patients were randomized i
            hospital: one group was treated by the standard method of the time, while another was admi

            thrombolytic drug and then transported to our clinic (or three other cardio-centres around
            and the third was transported straight to the cardio-centre without being given the clot b
            support of the Czech Society of Cardiology, 21 Czech hospitals joined the project. We pres

            of the study at a cardiology congress in Barcelona in 1999 and afterwards a whole series o
            were carried out around the world confirming our results.
            A follow-up PRAGUE study involved 850 patients from 51 hospitals and thrombolytic treatmen

            attacks was terminated in the Czech Republic based on its results. A year later the approa
            was changed in Europe and two years later in America. Now a European project titled Stent 
            underway which I had the privilege to put together. Its goal is to introduce this method i

            countries where it has not been implemented yet.
            Czech cardiology has a good reputation in the world. I suppose you don’t have problems – c
            fields – to maintain young scientists and doctors at home...

            Unfortunately many of the best graduates from medical faculties leave for foreign countrie
            graduation and don’t even start working the Czech Republic. In a free world without border
            people any other way than by paying them well. Patriotism has disappeared in today’s gener

            generation still feels it. As you can see, despite offers from abroad I am still working h
            happy to), but the young generation sees it differently. They are more Europeans than Czec
                                                                                                      
            Professor Widimsky is Head of the Cardiocenter (cardiology & cardiac surgery) and chief of