Cor Vasa 2011, 53(1-2):6-13

Origins of cardiology in the Krč-based hospital complex

Jiří Widimský

Klinika kardiologie, Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny, Praha, Česká republika

The Institute for Cardiovascular Disease Research (Ústav pro choroby oběhu krevního, ÚCHOK in Czech) was the first institute specializing in cardiology in what was formerly Czechoslovakia, and the third such in the world (after the National Institute of Cardiology based in Mexico City and National Institute for Cardiovascular Disease in Bethesda, USA). The facility was in fact a predecessor to what later became the Second Research Department of Internal Medicine, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM in Czech) and, subsequently, Department of Cardiology, IKEM.
The original institute was founded by Prof. Klement Weber and Prof. Jan Brod in 1951, being in existence until 1970, when it became part of the Second Research Department of Internal Medicine, IKEM, specializing in the field of cardiology.
The lines of research at ÚCHOK embraced the fields of pathogenesis, pathophysiology, and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, with major emphasis placed by the Scientific Board of ÚCHOK on original research projects. Special attention was given to essential hypertension, atherogenesis and coronary artery disease, angiology, epidemiology, pulmonary hypertension as well as nephrology.
The number of original publications was indeed impressive. Over the years 1951-1966, ÚCHOK-based authors published a total of 238 original papers (abstracts and review articles not included), mostly in international journals with impact factor. Of particular importance were studies in the field of response by regional hemodynamics of hypertensive patients to emotional stress (Brod et al.) and hemodyna-mics of juvenile hypertension (Widimský et al.). Another pioneering project led to the development of a method for measuring blood flow by local thermodilution (Ganz and Froněk). The first coronary care unit in Czechoslovakia was founded in collaboration with the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Surgery (Ústav klinické a experimentální chirurgie, ÚKECH in Czech) in 1966 (Hammer and Buda). It was also at that time that the first non-selective coronary angiographic procedures were performed. The year 1968 saw the exodus of 14 researchers of ÚCHOK, together with the institute's director, Prof. Brod to live abroad. The high repute of ÚCHOK researchers is perhaps best evidenced by the fact that seven of them became professors at US and Canadian universities.

Keywords: History of cardiology; Institute for Cardiovascular Disease Research; Klement Weber; Jan Brod

Published: January 1, 2011  Show citation