Month: October 2024

On 23 October, the Chairman of the Board of the Regional Council of the Bulgarian Medical Association in Veliko Tarnovo, Dr. Chavdar Vladimirov, awarded Dr. Valentin Krastev a badge of honour and a diploma for “Long-standing activity in the field of medicine and active contribution to the development of the specialty”.

Dr. Krastev has extensive experience in invasive cardiology and is an expert in echocardiography. He is an excellent diagnostician. He was the head of the sector of invasive cardiology at the hospital “Hr. Botev”, Vratsa, head of the cardiology clinic at “Sofamed” and invasive cardiologist at “St. Cherkezov in Veliko Tarnovo. He holds specialties in internal medicine and cardiology. He is a member of the Society of Cardiologists in Bulgaria and the Society of Interventional Cardiology, the European Society of Cardiology, a member of the Council of Cardio-oncology, the Council of Cerebrovascular Accidents and the European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions. He is also a member of the American Society of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the European Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology and the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography.

Dr. Krastev’s expertise in the field of cardiology is remarkable. He is one of the leading cardiologists of the Bulgarian Cardiology Institute and a preferred doctor by the residents of the Old Capital and the region.

15 doctors from the Cardiology Clinic, headed by Prof. Yana Simova, participated in the National Jubilee Congress of Cardiology in Plovdiv. The impressive delegation delivered two lectures presented by Prof. Simova, one clinical case presentation and 12 abstracts presented in the poster sessions. Interesting clinical cases as well as long-term projects of the Cardiology Clinic of great public and social importance were shared.

Presentations on identification of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia by cascade screening, screening for Fabry disease in a high-risk group of patients, systemic inflammation and atherosclerotic diseases, and difficulties in diagnosing patients with cardiac amyloidosis were of great interest. The cardiologists also paid special attention to the long-term follow-up of patients with unexplained syncope using an implantable loop recorder, and the multiple manifestations of cardiotoxicity in a patient with lung cancer.

All the developments that were presented at the congress are the result of the good collaboration of the multidisciplinary teams of ‘Heart and Brain’ Pleven – cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, neurosurgeons, imaging specialists, oncologists, neurologists, vascular surgeons, immunologists.

“The National Congress of Cardiology in Plovdiv was extremely well organized, for which the newly elected President of the Society of Cardiologists – Prof. Dr. Ivan Gruev has a great merit. The attendance exceeded our expectations, the halls were full, including standing room only. All delegates had the opportunity to enjoy an elite international presence on site in Plovdiv, with leading experts in various fields of cardiology presenting their expertise. We, the cardiologists from ‘Heart and Brain’, Pleven, are proud to have been part of this prestigious event and to have had the opportunity to share our experience and the results of our work in front of such an audience”, said Prof. Simova.

Nadezhda and Georgi were discharged in excellent health thanks to the dedicated work of the teams at the high-tech hospital  

Two high-risk newborns with extremely low birth weights have been discharged in excellent health from the country’s newest maternal and child health clinic – ‘Mama and I’ in Pleven. The children were born after high-risk pregnancies and were monitored and treated at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology clinic under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yordan Popov.

Nadezhda (“Hope” in Bulgarian) is a long awaited child, after a successful in-vitro procedure. The mother’s pregnancy had severe complications – pre-eclampsia and thyroid pathology. After a series of consultations, obstetricians, resuscitation specialists, cardiologists, endocrinologists and neonatologists decided on operative delivery at an early term, as the child suffered tremendously in the mother’s womb. Hope was born with an extremely low birth weight – only 960 grams. Immediately after birth, the neonatology team under the direction of Dr. Andrei Hristov began caring for her around the clock. The child is extremely risky. It is seriously delayed in its intrauterine development. The team conducts initial stabilization and intensive treatment. As a result of the incomplete rotation of the newborn’s intestinal system, he developed one of the rarest afflictions in the field of surgical pathology.

“Nadezhda turned out to be a very strong child, despite her weight and prematurity, the complications that occurred in the gastrointestinal system and liver,” says Dr. Hristov. “Our success with her is the result of the super modern and high-tech equipment, as well as the individual approach and dedicated work of the well-trained team of the department.” Nadezhda was discharged healthy, the parents are happy, and the follow-up of the child in the neonatology department continues.

George also became a favourite of the obstetricians and neonatologists. He is the third child in the family. The mother’s pregnancy proceeded normally until the amniotic fluid leaked prematurely. The parents are confused and seek help at another medical facility, but are left disappointed. On the recommendation of friends, they decide to visit ‘Mama and I’ and are quickly convinced that this is where their child will be born. The parents-to-be meet the obstetric team – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yordan Popov and Dr. Mazhet Alkara, and Dr. Andrey Hristov introduces them to the capabilities of the neonatology department. Georgi was born weighing 1,000 grams, later reaching 800 grams. Intensive care was applied in full and with technology that is only available in the neonatology department of ‘Mama and I’. The child went through various trials, however the neonatology team successfully managed the complications that arose, the most severe of which was pulmonary haemorrhage. With each passing day the child’s condition improves, the parents are reassured and a smile appears on their faces. After several months of intensive care, George is now home and the family is happy.

“Such moments of happiness make us feel like winners,” says Dr. Hristov. Staying true to their motto, “We handle the difficult with ease, the impossible slows us down just a little,” the team took on the care of the next at-risk child.

Specialists from the “Pirogov” Emergency Care Institute visited “Heart and Brain” Pleven at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Plamen Bozhinov, Head of the Clinic of Nervous Diseases. They were presented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maria Dimitrova, Head of the Clinic of Nervous Diseases at Pirogov. The purpose of the visit was to exchange experience between the two leading hospitals in the country.

“Our long-term goal is to develop and deepen our cooperation in the field of neurology as well as in other specialties,” said prof. Bozhinov.

Representatives of both clinics made presentations, sharing their experience, various interesting clinical cases from practice, new methods of work and opportunities for joint work. Then the team of neurologists from “Pirogov” got acquainted with the work of their colleagues from “Heart and Brain” Pleven, the organization of medical activities in the clinic and high-tech equipment.