Sotirios Prapas, ΜD, FECTS,

Director of Cardiac Surgery Department, “Henry Dunant” Hospital Center
Vice Chancellor of the World Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons (W.S.C.T.S)
Founder and Chancellor of the “Euro – Asian Bridge” Society (EAB)
President of the Hellenic Society of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgeons

About:
Born in Sykourio, Larissa in 1954. Graduated from the Medical school of the “Aristotle University of Thessaloniki”
in 1979 and completed his training in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the “Georgios Papanikolaou” Hospital inThessaloniki, under Prof. Panayiotis Spyrou during the period 1982‐1989. He continued his postgraduate training
at the “Royal Brompton” Hospital of London from 1989‐1991 under Prof. Darryl Shore. He returned to Greece asa Senior Registrar at the Pediatric Hospital “Agia Sofia” from 1991‐1993. In 1993 he started working as a SeniorRegistrar at the “Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre” for 8 years. He organized in 2001, the Department of Cardiac
Surgery at the “Henry Dunant” Hospital Centre and is the Director ever since.
Innovations in Cardiac Surgery:One of the world’s pioneers in Off‐Pump surgery who inspired the globally recognized arterial ”π‐graft” technique,supplemental to the OPCAB method, applying Off‐Pump, Aorta non‐touch and total arterial revascularization.
This method proved to be safe and superior to the classic bypass for high risk patients, such as octogenarians,
diabetics, patients with renal insufficiency, carotid disease, history of stroke, porcelain aorta and other chronicdiseases. The use of mammary arteries in young patients is associated with better long‐term results. In 2005, DrPrapas was the first to have implemented in Greece a combination of Off pump surgical treatment andautologous bone‐marrow implantation which appears to improve the patients’ functional status. His innovations
include the Off pump coronary total arterial revascularization with the use of the “π‐graft”, without
manipulations on the aorta, the external reshaping of the LV in OPCAB and the “Prapas Procedure” an alternative
method that combined off pump treatment of end‐stage ischemic cardiomyopathy, consisting ofrevascularization of ischemic areas, external reshaping of the left ventricle (LV) in order to restore near normal
geometry and autologous bone marrow –derived mononuclear cell (BM‐MNC) implantation.
Academic work
His academic work consists of numerous full text papers and abstracts in International Medical Journals,
presentations in International Congresses, lectures abroad as well as visits to over 60 centers for a live
demonstration of the “π‐graft” technique. He is a Phd of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens. He hastaught in the European School of Cardiac Surgery in Bergamo (2009). Alongside Prof. Marko Turina they wereassigned by the “Razavi Hospital” Board of Directors, to establish the “Iranian School for Cardio‐Thoracic Surgery”,
in Mashhad, Iran. He was the chairman of the 18th annual congress of the World Society of Cardiothoracic
Surgeons, in Kos island, in 2008. In 2004 he founded the Euro‐Asian Bridge Society of Cardiac Surgeons, consistingof 28 countries from the Balkan and the Middle East, promoting the cooperation and friendship among neighborcolleagues. Since 2012 he is the Vice Chancellor of the World Society of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgeons(WSCTS). He is an active member in 10 international societies including the American STS, ISMICS, the European
societies EACTS and ESCVS and the Asian SCTS.
Prof. Denton Cooley, the “father” of contemporary Cardiac Surgery, congratulated him for the “π‐graft”
technique during the 14th WSCTS annual congress in San Diego, CA, 2003, because the technique almosteliminates the possibility of Perioperative stroke.
In May 2006 during the 55th annual meeting of the ESCVS in St Petersburg, he operated and presented live via
broadcasting network the surgery of a Russian patient, using the “π‐ graft” technique.
Medtronic chose him as one of the 8 most distinguished Cardiac Surgeons performing Off Pump operations, topresent their experience at the 20th European Congress of Cardiac Surgery in Stockholm, Sweden.
Sotirios Prapas established an international center of OPCAB surgery using the “π‐graft” technique, in the Henry
Dunant Hospital Center, in which doctors from abroad are being trained on this method.

Prof. Federico Benetti, known as the father of Off pump surgery wrote to his recommendation letter..” “…Sotirios
Prapas is undoubtedly one of the most important Cardiac Surgeons of these times”.
Specializations


OPCAB surgery using the innovative “π‐graft” technique .

Autologous bone‐marrow implantation

Repair of cardiac valves (mitral, tricuspid).

Replacement of cardiac valves ( AVR, MVR)

Surgery of aorta aneurysm (Bentall, Tyron‐David, ascending aorta and arch).

Surgical Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation.

Reoperations of the whole spectrum.