Winner: Pradeep Narayan (left), Senior Registrar in
Cardiothoracic Surgery at the BHI receives the Hans G Borst
Award for Thoracic Aortic Surgery award from EACTS president Pascal
Vouhe (middle) and secretary general A. Pieter Kappetein
(right).
Pradeep Narayan, Senior Registrar in Cardiothoracic Surgery at
the Bristol Heart Institute, has become the first UK winner of the
Hans G Borst Award for Thoracic Aortic Surgery for the research
paper he presented in Switzerland at the annual meeting of the
European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery (EACTS) in September
2010. The EACTS annual meeting, one of the largest of its
kind, is attended by cardiothoracic surgeons from all over the
world.
The purpose of this prestigious annual award, launched in 2001,
is to stimulate advanced clinical or experimental research in the
field of thoracic aortic surgery by young investigators, as
documented by an outstanding presentation of unpublished
work.
The study presented to the meeting by Pradeep looked at the
treatment options for conditions affecting the lower part of the
main artery of the body present inside the chest, the descending
thoracic aorta. Led by consultant cardiac surgeon Mr
Gavin Murphy, it compared open surgical intervention with minimally
invasive or endovascular intervention (TEVAR). The study
found that TEVAR had a better outcome for patients in the short
term. However, the risk of re-intervention was much higher
and in three to four years both interventions had similar
results.
On winning the award, Pradeep said: On a personal level it
is certainly a great honour, but more importantly it is an honour
for the Bristol Heart Institute and I feel extremely pleased that I
have been able to contribute to it. The award is in fact
recognition of the efforts of the entire team of health
professionals at the BHI who have been working towards a common
goal of providing a high quality service for the patients.
Dr Peter Wilde, Head of Specialised Services, is delighted with
Pradeeps achievement: Worldwide experience shows that
it is only through the best research that high standards of patient
care are maintained and improved. This is another example of the
successful research track record of University Hospitals
Bristol.
Pradeep has been working in the UK over the past 13 years and
has worked at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust for
the last 10 years. During this time he has completed his
higher surgical training in cardiothoracic surgery, FRCS(CTh), and
has been actively involved in research. He has presented in
national and international meetings and has been published
extensively in peer reviewed journals. He is also pursuing
higher degree, Doctor of Medicine, with the University of
Bristol.
