 Aalst is a small town located in Flanders, the Flemish part of Belgium , halfway between Gent and Brussels . The city is known for its oignons, the lively carnival and... the Cardiovascular Center. The Cardiology Division was founded over 27 years ago by Erik Andries and Paul Nellens, at the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Ziekenhuis, a medium-size private general hospital.
Cardiac surgery soon followed under the leadership of Hugo Vanermen. Presentely, 15 cardiologists and 6 surgeons have a full-time affiliation with the Cardiovascular Center Aalst. Medical activities have recently expanded to include two additional sites in the nearby towns of Asse and Ninove.
The team includes up to 220 nurses, technicians, kinesitherapists, secretaries. The Division has a teaching program for trainees in internal medicine and general cardiology. Fellows are involved in specialized or post-doctoral programs for invasive electrophysiology and interventional cardiology. Clinical services include a heart transplant program, the heart failure clinic, the cardiac rehabilitation center as well as conventional non-invasive and invasive diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Facilities include the acute cardiac care unit, three hospitalization wards, a one-day care facility, four catheterization laboratories.
Our surgical colleagues have pioneered innovative forms of less invasive surgery, including mitral valve repair via Heart Port Access, robotics, minimally invasive arrhythmia surgery, and ventricular assist devices.
Ongoing research in our Cardiovascular Center focuses on new diagnostic and treatment modalities for heart failure and hypertrophy, the physiological evaluation of coronary stenoses, the prevention and treatment of in-stent restenosis and cell therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction and chronic ischemic heart failure.
It is the ambition of our group to provide high-quality patient care, at an academic level and at the same time, to maintain a direct, "private" relationship between the patient and his physician.
More
information can be found on our website
Click here to
access Aalst's website | 
