Place and Date of Birth Athens, Greece 22/03/1971
Present Position and Address
• Professor of Cardiology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
• Director of Cardio-oncology unit and structural heart disease unit, First Department of Cardiology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
• Chairman of the Postgraduate (MSc) program: ‘Interventional Cardiology’, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens • President of the Hellenic Society of Cardiology (2025-2027)
• Chairperson-elect of ESC Council for Cardiology Practice (2024-2026)
• Board member of Hellenic Heart Foundation
• Member of ESC advocacy committee 2024-2026 Training and Education
• 1994: Graduation from Athens Medical School
• 1995-96: Military Service
• 1996-97: Internal Medicine Department of Air Force General Hospital 251, Athens, Greece
• 1997-99: 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Athens Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece
• 1999-2001: First Department of Cardiology, Athens Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece
• August 2001- February 2002: Fellow in Interventional Cardiology, Centro Cuore Columbus, Milan, Italy
• March 2002-May 2003: Fellow in Interventional Cardiology, First Department of Cardiology, Athens Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece • June 2003- May 2014: Interventional Cardiologist in Hippokration Hospital, First Department of Cardiology, Athens, Greece
• May 2014 – December 2018: Associate Professor of Cardiology, First Department of Cardiology
• December 2018: Professor of Cardiology, First Department of Cardiology Post Graduate Degrees
• 2003: PhD on covered stents
• 2005: Lecturer of Cardiology, First Department of Cardiology, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
• 2009: Assistant Professor of Cardiology, First Department of Cardiology, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
• 2014: Associate Professor of Cardiology, First Department of Cardiology, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
• 2018: Professor of Cardiology, First Department of Cardiology, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece International Scientific Committee Participation
• Fellow of European Society of Cardiology (FESC)
• Member of European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Intervention (EAPCI)
• Member of Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (SCAI)
• Faculty member of Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) international meeting, Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) scientific sessions and PCR London valves
• Reviewer of EuroPCR submitted interesting cases
• Nominating Committee Member of European Society of Cardiology (2015-2016)
• Treasurer of ESC Council for Cardiology Practice (2020-2022)
• Communications coordinator of ESC Council for Cardiology Practice (2022-2024) Fellowships / Honours
• 1999: Hellenic Cardiological Society scholarship
• 2001: European Society of Cardiology scholarship
• 1999, 2001, 2003, 2013: Hellenic Cardiological Society: Scientific Research award
• 2007: Distinction in oral presentation in international congress Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics
• 2012: Visiting Professor University of Bolton, Bolton, UK
• 2013: New York College of Athens: award of distinguished scientist • Best poster presentation in ‘Behrakis Cardiovascular Symposium in Vascular Biology 2013’
• Highest ranking abstract from Greece in ACC’s annual Scientific Sessions 2015
• 2012-2014: President of the working Group of Interventional Cardiology of Hellenic Cardiological Society
• 2015: Best poster in European Society of Cardiology Congress
• 2016: Travel grant in European Stroke Conference
• 2021: Highest ranking abstract (Paul Dudley White Prize) from Greece in AHA’s annual scientific Sessions 2021
Major Publications
More than 590 publications in peer reviewed journal followed by 12.700 citations (h-index=53). Here is a list with the most representative references:
1. Toutouzas K, Colombo A, Stefanadis C. Inflammation and restenosis after percutaneous coronary interventions. Eur Heart J. 2004;25:1679-1687
2. Toutouzas K, Markou V, Drakopoulou M, Mitropoulos I, Tsiamis E, Vavuranakis M, Vaina S, Stefanadis C. Increased heat generation from atherosclerotic plaques in patients with type 2 diabetes: An increased local inflammatory activation. Diabetes Care. 2005;28:1656-1661
3. Toutouzas K, Drakopoulou M, Mitropoulos J, Tsiamis E, Vaina S, Vavuranakis M, Markou V, Bosinakou E, Stefanadis C. Elevated plaque temperature in non-culprit de novo atheromatous lesions of patients with acute coronary syndromes. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006;47:301-306
4. Toutouzas K, Drakopoulou M, Vaina S, Stefanadis C. Significance of characterization of non-culprit lesions: An underscored clinical problem. Atherosclerosis. 2007;195:236-241
5. Toutouzas K, Synetos A, Stefanadi E, Vaina S, Markou V, Vavuranakis M, Tsiamis E, Tousoulis D, Stefanadis C. Correlation between morphologic characteristics and local temperature differences in culprit lesions of patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007;49:2264-2271
6. Toutouzas K, Drakopoulou M, Synetos A, Tsiamis E, Agrogiannis G, Kavantzas N, Patsouris E, Iliopoulos D, Theodoropoulos S, Yacoub M, Stefanadis C. In vivo aortic valve thermal heterogeneity in patients with nonrheumatic aortic valve stenosis the: First in vivo experience in humans. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2008;52:758-763
7. Toutouzas K, Tsiamis E, Karanasos A, Drakopoulou M, Synetos A, Tsioufis C, Tousoulis D, Davlouros P, Alexopoulos D, Bouki K, Apostolou T, Stefanadis C. Morphological characteristics of culprit atheromatic plaque are associated with coronary flow after thrombolytic therapy: New implications of optical coherence tomography from a multicenter study. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2010;3:507-514
8. Toutouzas K, Karanasos A, Tsiamis E, Riga M, Drakopoulou M, Synetos A, Papanikolaou A, Tsioufis C, Androulakis A, Stefanadi E, Tousoulis D, Stefanadis C. New insights by optical coherence tomography into the differences and similarities of culprit ruptured plaque morphology in non-st-elevation myocardial infarction and st-elevation myocardial infarction. Am Heart J. 2011;161:1192-1199
9. Toutouzas K, Drakopoulou M, Aggeli C, Nikolaou C, Felekos I, Grassos H, Synetos A, Stathogiannis K, Karanasos A, Tsiamis E, Siores E, Stefanadis C. In vivo measurement of plaque neovascularisation and thermal heterogeneity in intermediate lesions of human carotid arteries. Heart. 2012;98:1716-1721
10. Toutouzas K, Grassos C, Drakopoulou M, Synetos A, Tsiamis E, Aggeli C, Stathogiannis K, Klettas D, Kavantzas N, Agrogiannis G, Patsouris E, Klonaris C, Liasis N, Tousoulis D, Siores E, Stefanadis C. First in vivo application of microwave radiometry in human carotids: A new noninvasive method for detection of local inflammatory activation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012;59:1645-1653
11. Toutouzas K, Karanasos A, Stathogiannis K, Synetos A, Tsiamis E, Papadopoulos D, Stefanadis C. A honeycomb-like structure in the left anterior descending coronary artery: Demonstration of recanalized thrombus by optical coherence tomography. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2012;5:688-689
12. Stefanadis C, Synetos A, Tousoulis D, Tsiamis E, Michelongona A, Zagouri F, Bamias A, Dimopoulos MA, Kyvelou S, Kapelakis I, Toutouzas K. Systemic administration of bevacizumab increases the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with metastatic cancer. Int J Cardiol. 2012 Feb 9;154(3):341-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2011.10.115
13. Hu S, Yonetsu T, Jia H, Karanasos A, Aguirre AD, Tian J, Abtahian F, Vergallo R, Soeda T, Lee H, McNulty I, Kato K, Yu B, Mizuno K, Toutouzas K, Stefanadis C, Jang IK. Residual thrombus pattern in patients with st-segment elevation myocardial infarction caused by plaque erosion versus plaque rupture following successful fibrinolysis: An optical coherence tomography study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013
14. Toutouzas K, Benetos G, Drakopoulou M, Michelongona A, Nikolaou C, Masoura C, Stathogiannis K, Aggeli C, Tsiamis E, Siores E, Stefanadis C. Morphological and functional assessment of carotid plaques have similar predictive accuracy for coronary artery disease. Stroke. 2013 Sep;44(9):2607-9.
15. Toutouzas K, Benetos G, Stefanadis C. Ischemic heart disease after breast cancer radiotherapy. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:2524-2525
16. Toutouzas K, Benetos G, Drakopoulou M, Deligianni C, Spengos K, Stefanadis C, Siores E, Tousoulis D. Incremental Predictive Value of Carotid Inflammation in Acute Ischemic Stroke. Stroke. 2015 Jan;46(1):272-4.
17. Toutouzas K, Chatzizisis YS, Riga M, Giannopoulos A, Antoniadis AP, Tu S, Fujino Y, Mitsouras D, Doulaverakis C, Tsampoulatidis I, Koutkias VG, Bouki K, Li Y, Chouvarda I, Cheimariotis G, Maglaveras N, Kompatsiaris I, Nakamura S, Reiber JH, Rybicki F, Karvounis H, Stefanadis C, Tousoulis D, Giannoglou GD. Accurate and reproducible reconstruction of coronary arteries and endothelial shear stress calculation using 3D OCT: Comparative study to 3D IVUS and 3D QCA. Atherosclerosis. 2015 Jun;240(2):510-9.
18. Toutouzas K, Benetos G, Karanasos A, Chatzizisis YS, Giannopoulos AA, Tousoulis D. Vulnerable plaque imaging: updates on new pathobiological mechanisms. Eur Heart J. 2015 Sep 28. pii: ehv508
19. Herrmann J, Yang EH, Iliescu CA, Cilingiroglu M, Charitakis K, Hakeem A, Toutouzas K, Leesar MA, Grines CL, Marmagkiolis K. Vascular Toxicities of Cancer Therapies: The Old and the New - An Evolving Avenue. Circulation. 2016 Mar 29;133(13):1272-89
20. Iliescu C, Grines CL, Herrmann J, Yang EH, Cilingiroglu M, Charitakis K, Hakeem A, Toutouzas K, Leesar MA, Marmagkiolis K. SCAI expert consensus statement: Evaluation, management, and special considerations of cardio-oncology patients in the cardiac catheterization laboratory (Endorsed by the Cardiological Society of India, and Sociedad Latino Americana de CardiologıaIntervencionista). Catheter CardiovascInterv. 2016 Apr;87(5):895-9
21. Toutouzas K, Koutagiar I, Benetos G, Aggeli C, Georgakopoulos A, Athanasiadis E, Pianou N, Trachanellis S, Patelis N, Agrogiannis G, Kafouris P, Filis K, Bessias N, Klonaris C, Spyrou G, Tsiamis E, Siores E, Patsouris E, Cokkinos D, Tousoulis D, Anagnostopoulos CD. Inflamed human carotid plaques evaluated by PET/CT exhibit increased temperature: insights from an in vivo study. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2016 Dec 23. pii: jew219. doi: 10.1093/ehjci/jew219
22. Benetos G, Toutouzas K, Matsoukis I, Drakopoulou M, Mitropoulou F, Koutagiar I, Nikolaou C, Stathogiannis K, Siores E, Tousoulis D. Female gender is independently associated with increased carotid temperatures in patients with coronary artery disease. Int J Cardiol. 2016 Sep 15;219:130-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2016.06.006 etc
Major Research Interest
• Clinical evaluation of new stent designs for the treatment of lesions in bifurcations, in thrombus containing lesions, saphenous vein grafts.
• Clinical evaluation of drug cardiotoxicity in oncology patients • Invasive methods, including intrasvascular ultrasound, thermography and optical coherence tomography for evaluation of vulnerable or high-risk plaques. • Non-invasive detection of vulnerable plaque inflammation by novel imaging modalities • Clinical study of patients with structural valve disease (valvular, ASD, PFO) • Principal Investigator in multicenter randomized ‘Direct’ trial (Predilatation in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Trial, NCT02448927) • Principal investigator in Greece of multicenter Landmark trial (NCT04275726) • Principal investigator of beta-TAVI (impact of beta-blockers on TAVI, NCT05721170) • Principal investigator of COMPASS-ART study (A Predictive Score for Arterial Thrombosis Associated With Cancer (NCT05256329) • Principal investigator in ‘TAVI in Intermediate Risk Septuagenarians With Risk Factors Not Captured by the Traditional Surgical Risk Scores’ (NCT04517955) Motivation Letter
Clinical experience.
I have been trained in all fields of Cardiology and I apply all aspects of clinical cardiology in the First Department of Cardiology of Athens Medical School since 2003. This is one of the busiest in Greece, as there are 42 beds in the clinic and 14 beds in the coronary care unit. Twice a month I am on duty for 24 hours for the whole clinic performing every procedure, such as transthoracic echocardiogram, transesophageal echocardiogram, and primary percutaneous coronary interventions. I am responsible for patient wards. Since 2016, I am responsible for the cardiooncology outpatient clinic of my institution. The aim of this department is to provide collaborative and interdisciplinary evaluation and care of cancer patients. All patients undergo specialized echocardiographic evaluation, utilizing all advanced echo modalities including strain and strain rate techniques, aiming to the early recognition of cardiotoxicity. My main interest is Interventional Cardiology. I perform the whole spectrum of interventional procedures, including coronary and structural heart disease interventions. I have performed more than 7000 coronary angiographies, 3000 percutaneous coronary interventions (including primary PCIs, rotablator procedures), 40 mitral valvuloplasties and 500 transluminal aortic valve implantations (TAVI) with different valve systems, including Corevalve, Evolut, Acurate and MyVal. I am also a proctor for the Medtronic Corevalve and Evolut device. I routinely perform the whole spectrum of mitral and tricuspid valve procedures, including Mitra-clip, valve-in-valve and valve-in- ring implantations (both Edwards-Sapien and Myval valve systems). I also successfully perform closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO), atrial septum defects (ASD) and left atrial appendage (LAA), with the use of dedicated devices. I have experience with intravascular ultrasound systems (both Boston and Volcano) and with optical coherence tomography (Lightlab). Especially for optical coherence tomography I have been a proctor for teaching other centers, and I have performed several live cases in Europe. Teaching experience. Cardiology is teached in the 5th and 6th year of the teaching program. I perform 6 hours teaching in patient wards weekly. I participate in the examinations of the students every semester. I am also chairman of the postgraduate (MSc) program: ‘Interventional Cardiology’, of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens. Moreover, I have trained several fellows in clinical and interventional Cardiology. I am supervisor of ten PhD candidates and numerous MSc candidates. Lastly, I have presented more than 600 abstracts, have given numerous lectures and chaired in several lectures in international congresses. Leadership and team work: As General Secretary of the Hellenic Society of Cardiology, I gained valuable experience in organizational leadership and strategy. I honed my skills in administrating meetings, ensuring that the society's objectives were met while also addressing the diverse needs of our members. Transitioning to the position of President, I now have the opportunity to shape the strategic vision of the society and lead initiatives that promote cardiovascular health in Greece. My focus includes enhancing research funding, expanding educational programs, and advocating for policies that support cardiology professionals and patient care. Leading such a prestigious organization requires not only strong leadership but also the ability to build and maintain effective relationships with members, healthcare institutions, and government agencies. Similarly, as President-elect of ESC Council for Cardiology Practice, I am focused on fostering collaboration among healthcare professionals, advocating for best practices in patient care, and promoting education and research that align with the evolving landscape of cardiology.