Patrick W Serruys

Professor of Interventional Medicine

MD PhD

University of Galway, Galway, Ireland

Expertise

Intervention Coronary Interventions Prevention & Chronic Conditions Coronary Artery Disease Vascular Disease and Surgery Imaging & Diagnostics Atherosclerosis and Hyperlipidemia Angiography Coronary Physiology CT/MRI Structural Intervention Aortic Disease - General Intravascular Imaging

Biography

Professor Patrick W. Serruys was born in Belgium in 1947. He completed his medical degree (M.D.) at the University of Leuven in 1972 and initially pursued research in muscle physiology before moving into cardiology, setting the stage for a lifelong career in interventional cardiovascular medicine

Prof Patrick W. Serruys is widely regarded as one of the most influential interventional cardiologists of the modern era. Across more than four decades, he has transformed coronary intervention through pioneering technologies, landmark clinical trials, and foundational imaging techniques. His scientific output, mentorship, and leadership have shaped generations of clinicians and innovators. Today, as Professor of Interventional Medicine & Innovation at the University of Galway, he continues to advance imaging, device therapy, and evidence-based cardiovascular medicine

Academic History

Dr Patrick W. Serruys earned his medical degree (M.D.) from the University of Leuven in 1972. He later pursued doctoral studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where he completed his Ph.D. cum laude in 1986 with a thesis entitled “Transluminal coronary angioplasty: an investigational tool and a non-operative treatment of acute myocardial ischemia” His academic training provided a strong foundation in both clinical cardiology and research, enabling him to pioneer innovations in coronary intervention and imaging

Career Overview

1977: Joined the Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, as Senior Member of the Cardiology Staff
1977–1980: Co-director of the Catheterization Laboratory at the Thoraxcenter
1980 onward: Director of the Clinical Research Programme in Catheterization and Clinical Imaging
1988: Appointed Professor of Interventional Cardiology at the Interuniversity Cardiological Institute of the Netherlands (ICIN)
1997–2012: Head of the Interventional Cardiology Department at the Thoraxcenter, Rotterdam
Until April 2014: Professor of Medicine at Erasmus MC
Later: Served as Honorary Professor of Cardiology at the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI), Imperial College London, until 2021
2020–present: Professor of Interventional Medicine & Innovation at the University of Galway, Ireland, and Senior Consultant at the CORRIB Research Centre for Advanced Imaging and Core Laboratory

Research & Innovation Contributions

Professor Serruys is recognised globally as one of the foremost pioneers in interventional cardiology. His work has shaped decades of clinical practice and biomedical innovation. Key contributions include:

Development of quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) in the late 1970s and early 1980s
Introduction of coronary stenting in the Netherlands in 1986
Early development and clinical introduction of drug-eluting stents (DES), transforming restenosis management
In 2006, co-development of the first fully biodegradable drug-eluting scaffold, offering resorbable alternatives to permanent metallic stents
Leadership of more than 90 multinational clinical trials involving over 190,000 patients
Supervision of over 99 Ph.D. theses, influencing multiple generations of interventional cardiologists internationally
Pioneering work in coronary imaging technologies, including IVUS, OCT, and multi-slice CT angiography

Recognition & Academic Influence

Author or co-author of more than 4,000 peer-reviewed publications and contributor/editor of over 42 textbooks, including major ESC reference works
Founding and former Editor-in-Chief of EuroIntervention, a leading journal in interventional cardiology
Member of editorial boards for more than 30 international medical journals
Named a Highly Cited Researcher (Clarivate, Clinical Medicine category)
Recipient of multiple international career achievement awards from the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) organisation, the American College of Cardiology, and the European Society of Cardiology
Globally recognised lecturer and educator in interventional cardiology

Areas of Speciality

Interventional cardiology (PCI, coronary angioplasty, coronary stenting, biodegradable scaffolds)
Coronary imaging (QCA, IVUS, OCT, CT angiography)
Coronary physiology
Transcatheter therapies (including TAVI)
Clinical trial design and leadership
Medical-device innovation and development