User:KHBibby/Christoph Huber

Christoph Huber (born December 5, 1970) is a Senior Consultant Cardiovascular Surgeon (PD Dr. med, FMH, FECTS), director of the Surgical TVI Program and Director of surgical skill training for medical students at the University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, Switzerland. He is also an author, board member, speaker and the founder/CTO of Endoheart EG, which developed the Transapical Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Method (TA TAVI). His pioneering work and research expertise have been recognized internationally, reflected by numerous publications, awards and grant support.

Early life and education
Christoph Huber's formative years were spent in Liestal, Switzerland. After graduating from the local high school, and qualifying for university entrance, he enrolled in medicine at the Basel University in 1992. He received his medical degree (MD) in 1998, and the following year with his thesis completed, acquired a Dr. med. of Human Science. For six months Huber served as an Army doctor (grade officer) and later received his ECFMG/USMLE degree (Geneva, Switzerland and London, UK). Huber went on to complete his General Surgery Residency in 2001 in the Department of General Vascular and Thoracic Surgery (including ICU) at the District Hospital of Biel, and in 2002, his Cardiovascular Residency at the University Clinic Hospital Bern/Inselspital.

From 2002-07, Huber worked as a cardiovascular surgeon, and later as Chief Resident Surgeon at the University Hospital Lausanne, during which time he also undertook a Senior Cardiac surgical clinical fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, USA (2004–05). He also became a member of the European Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery (FECTS)and passed the Swiss National Board of Cardiovascular surgery (FMH) exam in 2007. As well, he consulted on Adult Cardiac Surgery at the Heart Center Valais, RSV, Sion and University Hospital Lausanne. Huber’s work was recognized with five notable awards (refer 'Awards' below), and in February 2007, he was awarded a six year Swiss National Research Grant as Primary Investigator (PI) on “Direct Access Valve Replacement (DAVR) for aortic valves via the Trans Apical Procedure (TAP)” in Bern. In 2008-09, Huber received certification as a full medical practitioner with Specialist Registration for Cardiothoracic Surgery (congenital cardiac surgeon) at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK (he received a medtronic training and travelling scholarship from the hospital in 2008). The same year, Huber’s “Direct access aortic valve replacement” research was recognized with a grant from the Center for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research at the University Hospital in Lausanne, and in 2009, he published the first text book on aortic transcatheter valve therapies (refer 'Publications' below).

Since 2010, Huber has worked a the Clinic for Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Bern/Inselspital as the Senior Consultant of the Cardiovascular Surgery Division, Director of the Surgical TAVI Program, Director of skills training for 4-6 year medical students and as a cardiovascular lecturer. In 2012, he acquired a Privat Dozent (Priv.Doz) degree. He continues to perform over 200 operations a year while specializing in heart failure support, minimal invasive valve surgery, transcatheter valve therapies, and aortic surgery (including the majority of all transapical TAVI cases at Bern since 2010). Since 2012, Huber has dedicated many hours to Bern/Inselspital's 4th and 5th year respective surgical training and learning programs, lecturers 6th year students, and teaches cardiac surgery in operation rooms and his commitment was recognized in 2014 with the SIWF Award for best cardiac surgery teacher of Switzerland. Huber is also a popular guest speaker/chairmen on an international level (refer 'Speaking engagements' below), medical technology consultant, a proctor for Science and Technology Studies (EDGE course/STS approved), a tutor at Stiftung Heart Lab International and an instructor for Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS).

Medical innovations
Huber began his medical career focused on cardiac surgery, and before his general surgical training commenced, he visited several renowned cardiac surgery divisions. Disappointed with the rate of high complications in very sick patients, the need to split chests to gain heart access, and the use of heart lung machines, Huber was prompted to develop new strategies and technologies, specifically concerning aortic valve replacement. Interventional cardiologists, however, faced major drawbacks and “transseptal access” was revoked by the FDA in 2005 with the voluntary withdrawl of Edwards ('transseptal approach') life sciences. By 2004, an encouraged by his prior research, Huber’s proprietary replacement strategy (titled transapical TAVI) was developed and pioneered, and received critical attention in 2005 after Edwards’ withdrawl and a position paper was published (by an unprecedented collaborative effort of major American specialists covering both interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery) which definitively described Huber’s transapical technique as one of the most promising treatment modalities to modernized minimally invasive cardiac surgery. In 2006, Huber’s Transapical Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation method (TA TAVI) was performed for the first time by Dr. Thomas Walter. ''

Detailed overview of Huber's TA TAVI approach in PDF format (University Hospital Bern) (Note: for additional overviews of Huber's innovative TAVI approach refer 'External links' below)

Huber’s proprietary transapica access patent was registered by the US Patent and Trademark Office on May 22, 2012 (US8182530B2) and markets the technology through his start-up company Endoheart EG (Winterthur, Switzerland), which he founded and is CTO. Huber’s transapical approach is the only antegrade route for transcatheter aortic valve transplantation (TAVI) and its advantages have led to wide popularity over non-antegrade approaches, including lowering complications (from 10% to 1%) and risk of stroke. His innovative TAVI therapy was recognized in 2014 as the “first choice surgical TAVI access. Expansion of this well-established treatment modality with subsequent broader patient inclusion has accelerated development of second-generation TA-TAVI devices. The Swiss ACURATE TA Symetis valve, receiving CE approval in September 2011, allows for excellent anatomical positioning, resulting in a very low incidence of paravalvular leaks. The self-expanding stent features an hourglass shape to wedge the native aortic valve annulus…Since 2011, the valve is the third most frequently implanted TAVI device with over 1200 implants in Europe and South America…and a procedural success rate of 98.0% and a survival rate of 93.2% at 30 days. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as a highly effective minimally invasive treatment symptomatic for severe calcific aortic stenosis in patients at high or prohibitive surgical risk."

Huber has received numerous awards (refer 'Awards' below), including peer recognition in 2007 by the European Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery as the inventor of the Trans Apical TAVI procedure, as well, the Swiss Heart Foundation Award in 2009 for outstanding cardiovascular research achievements (estimates Sept. 2015 indicate the procedure as has been performed over 100,000+ times worldwide, though unverifiable). Huber also received a Swiss National Science Foundation Grant and a grant from the Medical faculty, University of Lausanne. Huber continues to conduct research, including collaborative efforts into battery-less (sunlight and cardiacmotion) powered pacemakers and aortic valve flow simulation.

Awards and honors

 * Sept. 2014 - Swiss SIWF Award: Distinction as best (cardiac surgery) Swiss teacher for Cardiac Surgery (Bern, Switzerland)
 * Oct. 2012 - PCR London Valves Best Case Award: Worldwide first surgical implantation of a transcatheter valved stent in micral position (London, UK)
 * May 2009 - National Research Prize, Swiss Heart Foundation: In recognition for development of the transapical TAVI approach (Trans Catheter Valve Replacement of the Aortic Valve - The Direct Access Trans Apical Procedure)
 * Sept. 2007 - Techno College Innovation Award: In recognition for development of the transapical TAVI approach (The Trans Apical Procedure for the Direct Access Aortic Valve Replacement/DAVR) (European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery EACTS/ESTS - 6th Joint Meeting, Geneva, Switzerland - Honorable mention/2nd Place)
 * Sept. 2005 - St. Jude Medical, C. Walton Lillehei, PH.D, MD. Young Investigator’s Award: For presentation of ‘Direct Access Aortic Valve Replacement/DAVR – Are we entering a new era?’ (European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery EACTS/ESTS - 4th Joint Meeting, Barcelona, Spain - Honorable mention/2nd Place)
 * June 2005 – Swiss Society of Thoracic-Cardiac and Vascular Surgery Award: ‘Direct Access Percutaneous Valve Replacement - A novel approach to minimally invasive off-pump aortic valve replacement using valved stents’ (Zürich, Switzerland)
 * Feb. 2004 - ISES Peripheral Vascular Fellow’s Forum Award: For presentation of ‘New tools for new goals: Ultrasound navigation through the heart for off-pump aortic valved stent implantation’ (Scottsdale, Arizona, USA)
 * Oct. 2003 - St. Jude Medical, C. Walton Lillehei, PhDl, MD. Young Investigator’s Award: For presentation ‘Do Valved Stent Compromise Coronary Flow?’ (European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery EACTS/ESTS 2nd Joint Meeting, Vienna, Austria – First Prize)

Publications
Peer reviewed articles:
 * Christoph Huber has published 75 articles and 1,082 citations (Sept. 2015 – refer Research Gate and Web of Science, Thomson Reuters (H-Index 17). Due to the number of articles, they have not been listed.

Books and chapters:
 * Huber C. (ed), Feldman T, Cohn LH, Transcatheter Valve Therapies. Informa Healthcare USA, New York, 2009. ISBN 9781439810781, pages 280
 * Huber C. Postoperative quality of life assessment in the over 80's after cardiac surgery in Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures. Preedy, Victor R.; Watson, Ronald R. (Eds.). Springer, Heidelberg 2009. ISBN 978-0-387-78665-0
 * Huber C. Case Atlas and training manual for the Symetis Acurate TA valve. Symetis, Ecublens 2013
 * Schnüriger B, Huber C. Trauma Thoracotomy. Book Chapter in Handbook ExACT Surgery Course. In-print expected 2016

Speaking engagements
Engagements 2014-2015:
 * Invited speaker (3 engagements): Pre-Intervential CT planning; Transcatheter aortic valve implantation device parade - What do they have in common, what are the differences?; TAVI complications what can happen and how can we avoid it? (Transcatheter aortic and mitral valve interventions - EACTS Academy, Windsor, UK, Sept. 2015)
 * Invited speaker: How Syntex and Excel change the landscape (Contra and Rebuttal Contra – European Society of Cardiology ESC, London, UK, Sept. 2015)
 * Chairmen (4 engagements): Open issues related to TAVI; Lost and found Session; Non-cardiac surgery - Cardiovascular assessment and management – How to session; Cardiac failure, valvulopathies and heart transplant – Moderated poster session (National Joint Year Congress of the Swiss Society of Cardiology and the Swiss Society of Cardio-and Thoracic-Vascular Surgery SGK/SGHC, Zürich, Switzerland, June 2015)
 * Chairmen: Mitral valve regurgitation diagnostics and therapy (4th Heart Valve Symposium, Bern, Switzerland, May 2015)
 * Chairmen: Late breakers I; Invited Speaker (3 engagements: Post-graduate course - The rocky annulus; Where valves can go; How to simplify TAVI - should it be done without prior BAV); and Discussant (3 engagements: Suprasternal Approach TAVR avoids Thoracotomy FIM; Right anterior mini-thoracotomy for isolated aortic valve replacement: Ten year experience in 590pt; One year registry outcomes of the recently approved transapical ACURATE TAVI device (EACTS, Milano, Italy, Oct. 2014)
 * Invited Speaker: Life case TAVI – FIM TAVI into degenerated Perceval sutureless valve (London Valve PCR, London, UK, Sept. 2014)
 * Chairmen and Invited Speaker (2 engagements): WSCTS; New TAVI devices (Geneva, Switzerland, Sept. 2014 )
 * Chairmen and Invited Speaker: TAVI workshop (SGK/SGTHGC, Interlaken, Switzerland, June 2014)
 * Invited Speaker: Update refresher (General medicine forum, Zürich, Switzerland, May 2014)
 * Invited Lecture: How to design the future of TAVI (ESCVS, Nice, France, April 2014)
 * Chairmen and Invited Speaker (4th Berner Heart Valve Symposium, Bern, Switzerland, Feb. 2014)
 * Invited Lecture: The Acurate TA autopilot valve – The first intelligent transapical vale concept (Danzig, Poland, Jan. 2014)

Previous engagements:
 * First Swiss TAVI user event, Lucerne, Switzerland, Nov. 2013
 * European Association Cardio Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), Annual Meeting, Vienna, Austria, Oct. 2013; Barcelona, Spain, Oct. 2012; Geneva, Switzerland, Sept. 2010; Lisbon, Portugal, Sept.2008
 * London Valve PCR, London, UK, Sept. 2013
 * Joint Annual Meeting SSIC, SSCS and SGHC, Geneva, Switzerland, Sept. 2013; Lugano, Switzerland, June 2013 (SGK/SGHC); Lausanne, Switzerland, June 2012 (SGK/SGTHGC)
 * 7th Biennale Congress, Society of Heart Valve Disease (SHVD), Venice, Italy, June 2013
 * TAVI workshop, Frankfurt, Germany, June 2013
 * EuroPCR, Paris, France, June 2013
 * Innovations in Cardiovascular Interventions (ICI), Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 2011
 * HeartLAB International, Zürich, Switzerland, Nov. 2011
 * Congenital and Structural Interventions (CSI) Frankfurt, Germany, June 2011
 * 2ème Symposium romand de cardiologie et chirurgie cardiaque,Coppet, Switzerland, Oct. 2010
 * 45th Annual Congress, Centre Mèdical Universitaire (CMU), Geneva, Switzerland, June 2010
 * 19th Annual Meeting of the Mediterranean Association of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, MACCS, Opatija, Croatia, Sept. 2007
 * Options & Outcomes Meeting, Istanbul, Turkey, Nov. 2005
 * BWH Cardio-thoracic Core Curriculum, Joint Meeting, Boston, USA, Dec. 2004
 * Cardio-thoracic Techniques and Technologies (CTT), Miami Beach, Florida, USA, Mar. 2003

Professional societies

 * Council member Techno-College of European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery (EACTS - 2015)
 * Program committee member Joint Year Congress of the Swiss Socety of Cardiology and Swiss Society of Cardio and Thoracic-Vascular Surgery (SGK/SGHC - 2014)
 * Council member adult domain of the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery (EACTS – 2013 to 2016)
 * Board member Swiss Society of Surgery (SGC - 2013)
 * Permanent delegate of Chamber of Physicians of the Swiss Medical Association (FMH representing Swiss Society of Thoracic and Cardio Vascular Surgery - 2012)
 * Board member Swiss Society of Cardiac and Thoracic-Vascular Surgery (SGHC - 2012)
 * Member European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (refer Council member above)
 * Member Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)
 * Cardiothoracic Surgery Network (CTSNET) - including Christoph Huber profile
 * Alumni Basel
 * Member Association of Swiss Assistant Doctors and Chief Physicians/Consultants (VSAO)