Interventional cardiology advancements enable complex heart treatments in Spain

Medical professionals in Spain are highlighting the advancements in interventional cardiology, which allow for minimally invasive treatments of cardiovascular diseases. At Hospital Quirónsalud Córdoba, a cardiology team led by Dr. Soledad Ojeda and Dr. Francisco José Hidalgo successfully treated a patient with a critical coronary trunk obstruction. The case was highly complex due to severely calcified atheroma plaques, described as a ‘porcelain aorta’, which reduced blood flow to the heart muscle by approximately 90%. To manage the patient's reduced cardiac contraction during the procedure, doctors utilized an advanced mechanical circulatory support pump.

In a broader context, Xavier Carrillo from Hospital Universitario Germans Trias i Pujol noted that technological progress has enabled percutaneous treatments in scenarios previously considered impossible. Data from B. Braun indicates that circulatory system diseases accounted for 25.7 percent of all deaths in Spain in 2025, with ischemic heart diseases being the most frequent cause. Percutaneous coronary intervention, or angioplasty, remains a primary strategy for treating heart attacks, with a 98 percent utilization rate in primary intervention contexts in Spain as of 2024.