“Speaking to the Heart”

The study day, which was organized by the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center Cardiology Division, and in cooperation with the Neurology Department and the Emergency Medicine Department, was dedicated to syncope (fainting), and discussed various diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to it. The Israel Cardiology Association also contributed to the study day, and the participants included physicians involved with patients suffering from the syndromes – from family medicine and internal medicine, through neurology, ENT, vascular surgery, psychiatry, and of course, cardiology. Other teams of health professionals also attended, such as paramedics.

A discussion facilitated by Prof. Ariel Rogen, Director of the Hillel Yaffe Cardiac Division

Hillel Yaffe Medical Center operates a Syncope Clinic which has been combining these specialties for several years already. The day began with greetings from Prof. Ariel Rogen, Director of the Hillel Yaffe Cardiac Division, and Director of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center Dr. Mickey Dudkiewicz, who noted the importance of holding professional study days so as to strengthen the connection between the hospital and doctors in the community.

Next were lectures in the relevant fields, including that of the Director of the Hillel Yaffe Neurology Department, Dr. Yaron River, who spoke about the neurologist’s view of syncope and the difference between epilepsy and syncope; a lecture by the Director of the Emergency Medicine Department, Dr. Jalal Ashkar, who spoke about diagnosis and initial treatment in the Emergency Room; a lecture on the topic of diagnosing syncope from a cardiologist's viewpoint, given by Dr. Asaf Danon, Director of the Electrophysiology Unit, and a fascinating talk about implanting subcutaneous devices for monitoring cardiac rates, delivered by Dr. Mark Kazatsker, Head of the Electrophysiology, Pacemaker & Arrhythmias Service. The day ended with a panel of experts led by Prof. Rogen.

All the lectures were published on the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center’s YouTube channel for professional study.