Leading Saudi heart specialist discusses insights from international summit

Dr. Saad Al Kasab, of the Prince Sultan Cardiac Center, Riyadh, was invited to the two-day international conference, where key opinion leaders discussed the latest research, drug treatments, and technological advances in cardiology.

Upon his return, he has been involved in a number of educational events, aiming to share the information provided during the conference with colleagues in the Kingdom.

"Figures for the Middle East show that the number of heart attack victims across the region are increasing, and there is a worrying trend of younger people developing heart disease. Meeting with international colleagues provided a good opportunity to discuss the issues surrounding diagnosis and treatment," said Dr. Saad Al Kasab.

The Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts is a world leader in patient care, medical education, and research, and a major teaching hospital for the world-renowned Harvard Medical School.

Over 40 leading medical experts from around the world were invited to the conference. As well as being given guided tours of the state-of-the-art facilities at the hospital, they were also briefed on the latest developments in cardiovascular medicine from experts in the field.

Among the speakers at the event was Dr. Marc Pfeffer of Brigham and Women's Hospital, who was one of the co-primary investigators of the ground-breaking VALIANT study, the largest long-term study ever conducted in people who have survived a heart attack.

The study offered hope to patients in the Kingdom, suggesting that Diovan, a leading blood pressure treatment, is also a potentially life saving treatment following a heart attack, and effective in reducing repeat attacks.

"This was an excellent opportunity for leaders in cardiovascular medicine to come together and share information about their experiences in diagnosis of heart disease. We were also able to discuss drug treatments such as Diovan, which has shown to lower blood pressure, and potentially save lives following a heart attack," said Dr. Al Kasab.