Gulf Intervention Society brings leading physicians and interventional cardiology specialists from across the GCC & ME in an enlightening blend of in person learning and live streaming from around the globe that saw record participation levels and knowledge shared.

The conclusion of the fourth edition of The Gulf Intervention Society (GIS) Conference brings a record-breaking participation both in person, and virtually across this year’s hybrid event held from November 18th to 20th at Intercontinental Festival City, Dubai, after a long break of COVID 19 consequences.

Fawaz Almutairi, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, and President of the GIS said ‘’The conference brought together leading Cardiologists and Interventionists from across the GCC and the globe and succeeded in its mission to educate and share insight into research and quality patient care, most notably with the addition of the ‘Knowledge Hub’ and the workshops with hands-on and hands-off technique as a significant channel for improving the learning and education of healthcare professionals in attendance, with a total of 2500 minutes of experiential knowledge sharing enjoyed across the three day event. In addition, with 25+ international speakers joining virtually and physically and more than 80 Regional and local speakers.

Live transmission of cardiac Intervention operations from Saudi Arabia, UAE, America, France, were broadcast in sessions that also included interactive case presentations and video demonstrations with subjects such as ‘complete coronary intervention, management of acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock and tips and tricks for heart team techniques amongst others.

Abdullah Shehab, Professor of Cardiology, UAE and Vice-President of the GIS said “With the rise in cardiac cases up by 90% in the region compared to pre Covid-19 pandemic statistics, the importance of our annual conference as a gathering for physicians and healthcare workers in the cardiac field cannot be underestimated. We are pleased to say that we have increased by 120% the amount of material shared this year compared to previous editions, solidifying the GIS aim of gathering insight, knowledge, and best practice to serve the public, States, and health care professionals for scientific research and societal compatibility.”

The GIS Conference saw upwards of 755 participants and all delegates attending mandatory sessions taking away CME Accreditation from the European Board for Accreditation in Cardiology (EBAC) equivalent to 20 hours of external CME credits, with certification applied by the Dubai Health Authority.

Mousa Akbar, Consultant interventional Cardiologist and Head of Cardiology Unit Al Sabah Hospital, Kuwait and General Secretary said “As heart disease is the number one cause of death globally, and more than death as a result of all cancers combined, the number of deaths from heart disease annually exceeds 18 million. This number accentuates the need for knowledge sharing and keeping up to date with all advancements in our field. The GIS is proud to have welcomed over 755 delegates to this year’s event who will be able to share the insight gained and connections made with their own colleagues at their own facilities across the world.

R-L: Khalid Bin Thani, Abdullah Shehab, Fawaz Almutairi & Mousa Akbar

Khalid Bin Thani, Cardiovascular Medicine and Interventional Cardiology Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain and Treasurer Said’’ We are proud as both the GIS and the Gulf Heart Association facilated this conference at such a critical time and developed a vision of cooperation between regional and international bodies in the field of Cardiovascular Intervention.

With environmentally friendly credentials, the GIS Conference ensured that any unused materials after the event will be donated or recycled and all printed materials were created using recyclable papers. Carbon footprint was also considered in regard to transportation to and from the location with the venue itself committed to utilising only sustainable products across the property, with no plastics and only biodegradable packaging used.

Finally, we would like to thank our esteemed supporter, Dubai Tourism and the Dubai Health Authority alongside our expert facilitators and everyone involved with the success of the 2021 GIS Conference. GIS Society and conference are managed by ICOM as Core PCO

We look forward to welcoming everyone back to the next edition From 3-5 November 2022- at Intercontinental Festival City, Dubai-UAE ”

The Gulf Intervention Society was established to coincide with the growth and success of Gulf interventional cardiac surgeries both regionally and globally.

The GIS Board, which forms part of the Gulf Heart Association, including Vice President, Abdullah Shehab, Professor of Cardiology, UAE and twenty intervention doctors gathered from the GCC area from Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, welcomed the participation of national and regional cardiac interventionalists to recognise their responsibility towards their patients, fellow physicians and the health care sector as a whole across the three day conference and included participating  bodies such as: ECS – Emirates Cardiac Society, JIM – Joint Interventional Meeting, SCAI – Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, SACIS- Saudi Arabia Cardiac Intervention Society and the CVREP Foundation

Since the inaugural event in 2018, the GIS Conference has seen attendance and participation increase by 70% year on year.

In line with the GIS mission, the conference recognised its responsibility to promote the highest possible educational levels, research tools, community interactions and ethical behavior by its members, and will feature updates on all new guidelines and recent trials in the field of cardiology intervention amongst attendees with opportunities to network and share experiences with locally based and international experts in the field.

 The GIS 2021 conference, supported by Dubai Tourism and the Dubai Health Authorities was held between November 18th to 20th at Intercontinental Festival City, Dubai