Heart Saplings Blossom| Fellows from India and Indonesia Win Awards at International Academic Conferences with Cases from XMCH

Recently, the “Heart Sapling” Visiting Scholar Program at Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital Xiamen University (XMCH) celebrated exciting achievements. Dr. Mukesh Jitendra Jha from India and Dr. Fandy Santoso Budiardjo from Indonesia won Outstanding Case Awards at APCASH 2025 and QICC 2025, respectively, with challenging cases they participated in at XMCH. Their success highlights both China’s innovation in cardiovascular technology and the program’s international, professional training impact.

Mukesh: A “Combination Punch” of Domestic Devices Showcasing China’s Innovative Solutions

APCASH, hosted annually by the Hong Kong Society of Congenital and Structural Heart Disease, is a major academic congress in the field. In the Case Competition, Dr. Mukesh presented a complex case using a combination of Chinese innovative devices to treat severe tricuspid regurgitation, winning Second Runner-up.

The patient was elderly and at extremely high risk. The XMCH team innovatively used two Chinese-developed devices — K-Clip® and Neoblazar® — to perform tricuspid annuloplasty and edge-to-edge repair. This stepwise approach effectively addressed both annular dilation and leaflet malcoaptation, leading to remarkable clinical outcomes. The innovative solution gained unanimous recognition from attending experts.

“Winning an award at a prestigious meeting like APCASH feels incredible!” said Dr. Mukesh. “The honor reflects not only the technical excellence of the XMCH team but also the growing global presence of China’s original cardiovascular devices.”

Fandy: Precisely Managing a High-Risk Dissection — ‘My Mentors at Xiamen Taught Me So Much’

QICC is a highly influential cardiovascular conference in China and abroad, featuring over 200 academic sessions and nearly 100 sub-forums. Dr. Fandy’s PCI-related aorto–coronary dissection case from XMCH was selected for the Excellent Case Award.

The case involved a rare Dunning class III aorto–coronary dissection with massive extension reaching both carotid arteries bilaterally, representing one of the most critical complications during PCI. Under the guidance of his Xiamen mentors, Dr. Fandy rapidly identified several key risk factors, including unique RCA ostial anatomy, the use of an aggressive guiding catheter, deep intubation, and pressure damping during contrast injection.An initial ostial stent–sealing strategy was attempted but was unsuccessful. The team then adopted a bailout approach using a perforation technique, followed by sealing of the dissection plane with a covered stent. This strategy successfully sealed the dissection and restored vessel integrity, thereby avoiding the need for emergency surgery.

“This case taught me that prevention is always the best approach for coronary dissection,” said Dr. Fandy. “At XMCH, I learned essential interventional skills — but more importantly, a systematic way of thinking that helps me stay calm in critical situations.”