Heart Center
Mission
Established in November 2022, the Heart Center comprises the Department of Cardiology and the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery. Our dedicated team of professionals, including cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, and other specialists share the common belief that “From Kamakura, we will provide superior cardiovascular treatments and care to all patients, 24/7, 365 days a year.”
Leading Expert（Cardiology）
Dr. Shigeru Saito is a pioneer of transradial coronary intervention（TRI）, an innovative, less invasive alternative to the traditional femoral approach for coronary procedures. He is also one of the premier operators in Japan of transcatheter aortic and mitral valve interventions. His tireless global efforts have significantly impacted the medical community, improving cardiovascular outcomes for patients worldwide. Dr. Saito travels the world, dedicating himself to training and promoting this cutting-edge procedure.
BACKGROUND:
- Osaka University School of Medicine （M.D.1975）
- Kansai Rosai Hospital （1976-1988）
- Director of Heart Center, Shonan Kamakura General Hospital（present）
Shigeru Saito
Director of Heart Center
CLINICAL FOCUS:
- Percutaneous coronary intervention
- Transcatheter aortic, mitral and tricuspid valve interventions
AWARDS:
- EuroPCR 2015 Ethica Award （2015）
- Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics （TCT） 2019 G. O. Hartzler Master Clinical Operator Award （2019）
TCT 2019 Master Operator Award
Message from Dr. Saito
Welcome to Our Heart Center! Our Heart Team is dedicating ourselves to no-skin cut treatment for people suffering from various heart diseases. Our territories include not only acute or chronic heart attacks but also valvular heart diseases （Aortic stenosis, Mitral or Tricuspid regurgitation）, LAAC and Patent Foramen Ovale closure to prevent stroke, and so on. The most prominent feature of our group is that we are always going forward to improve the quality of our medical care more. Let’s visit us, if you and your relatives have difficult situations around your heart.
Leading Expert（Cardiovascular Surgery）
Dr. Tohru Asai is an internationally recognized cardiovascular surgeon. He has been exploring novel surgical techniques in his career. He has established total arterial off-pump coronary artery bypass （since 1996）, developed skeletonization of the arterial conduits （since 2001）, innovated “butterfly technique” for the mitral valve repair （since 2006）, and invented a life-saving “extended sandwich patch” method for postinfarction VSD repair （since 2008）. Dr. Asai is currently a leader of minimally invasive mitral valve repair surgery. He has performed over 7,000 cardiovascular operations in his career.
Dr. Asai has been active in domestic and international academic societies. He had served as a board director of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, ISMICS. He has also committed international cooperative activities, such as annual educational visits to Choray Hospital, Vietnam for 10 years, live surgeries in Thailand, Malaysia, India, and China, and invited lectures in many countries.
Tohru Asai
Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery & Assistant Director of Shonan Kamakura General Hospital
BACKGROUND:
- Kanazawa University School of Medicine （M.D.1986）
- New York University （NYU） Surgical Resident （1988-1990）, Cardiothoracic Fellow （1991-1994）
- Division of Cardiovascular （CV） Surgery, Kanazawa CV Hospital （1994-2002）
- Professor, Department of Surgery, Shiga Univ of Med Science （2002-2018）
- Professor, Department of CV Surgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo （2019-2022）
- Chief of CV Surgery and Assistant Director of Shonan Kamakura General Hospital （2022-present）
CLINICAL FOCUS:
- Off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery – CABG
- Aortic Root Repair
- MICS Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery – CABG
- MICS Mitral Valve Repair
- Mitral Valve Repair/Replacement
- Aortic Valve Repair/Replacement
- Surgery for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
- Aortic Surgery （Open and Endovascular）
