Dr. Antonio Colombo Joins Stamford Hospital's New Structural Heart Disease Center & Valve Clinic

Stamford Hospital is pleased to welcome world-renowned interventional cardiologist Antonio Colombo, MD to the Hospital’s Interventional Cardiology team. Dr. Colombo will serve as a key member of the Hospital’s new Structural Heart Disease (SHD) Center and Valve Clinic.  Along with Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Nicola Corvaja, physicians at the SHD Center will collaborate with physicians at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to bring comprehensive screening, evaluation and life-saving treatment to patients with structural heart and valve disease.

Dr. Colombo is the Chief of Interventional Cardiology at San Raffaele Hospital and Columbus Hospital in Milan, Italy and a Visiting Professor of Medicine at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. At Stamford Hospital, Dr. Colombo will work closely with interventional cardiologists to provide patients with innovative procedures for structural heart conditions including TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) and MitraClip®. Deemed a “Legend in Cardiovascular Disease” at the March 2012 American College of Cardiology Scientific Session, Dr. Colombo is best known for his innovative work in coronary stenting, structural heart disease treatment and peripheral vascular interventions.

 “The field of structural heart procedures is in its infancy, especially in United States,” said Dr. Colombo. “TAVR and MitraClip are two procedures that will have the greatest impact on interventional cardiology. TAVR provides appropriate care for patients who are considered not suitable or are at a very high risk for surgery, while the MitraClip will help to better manage patients with heart failure and mitral regurgitation.”

            Dr. Colombo met Dr. Corvaja while serving as Attending Physician in Interventional Cardiology and the Director of Research Angioplasty at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. The two colleagues became close friends and have since collaborated on innovative interventional cardiology techniques at Dr. Colombo’s interventional cardiology lab in Milan and at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

 “The new SHD Center and Valve Clinic allows a multidisciplinary team of specialty physicians in cardiac surgery to provide care for patients, including those with conditions previously thought to be ineligible for corrective surgery,” said Dr. Corvaja. “The collaboration between Stamford and Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospitals will provide an excellent opportunity for both institutions to grow and learn more about innovative cardiology procedures in order to provide the most advanced minimally invasive treatment modalities of care.”

For more information about Stamford Hospital’s Heart & Vascular Institute, please visit www.stamfordhospital.org.