Department of Cardiovascular Medicine

Head of the Department: Shigeru Toyoda MD, PhD

Message from the Head of the Department

     Our department was founded in 1973 by the first professor Masaharu Yoshimura and was succeeded by the second professor Masahiko Iizuka in 1990 and was succeeded by the third professor Noboru Kaneko in 1998 and was succeeded by the fourth professor Teruo Inoue in 2009 and the current professor Shigeru Toyoda in 2021. We are providing medical care, research, and education for cardiovascular diseases. The fellows are provided with the opportunity to achieve the knowledge base, clinical and interpersonal skills, professional attitudes, and practical experiences. In our outpatient and inpatient clinics, the fellows are constantly receiving clinical exposure to a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases such as ischemic heart disease, heart failures, and arrhythmias. The fellows are provided with the opportunity to participate actively in the diagnosis and management of patients with cardiovascular diseases. I can say with confidence that the fellows who learn here in our department become outstanding cardiologists.

Activities

1. Clinical Activities
     We provide medical care for heart diseases, peripheral vascular diseases, and pulmonary circulation diseases. We have established a heart and vascular care system by our specialists, for ischemic heart diseases, arrhythmias, heart failures, pulmonary circulation, emergency medical care, and cardiac rehabilitation.

Common symptoms,
　Chest oppression; Chest pain; Cyanosis; Daytime sleepiness; Dizziness; Dyspnea; Edema; Intermittent claudication; Limb necrosis; Palpitation; Shortness of breath; Snoring; Syncope

Major specialized diseases,
　Acute coronary syndrome (acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris); Arrythmia (Atrial fibrillation, Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia); Cardiomyopathy (Fabry disease, Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Cardiac amyloidosis, Cardiac sarcoidosis, Dilated cardiomyopathy); Chronic coronary syndrome (stable angina pectoris); Dyslipidemia; Heart failure; Hypertension; Infectious endocarditis; Myocardial infarction; Myocarditis; Pericarditis; Peripheral artery disease (Arteriosclerosis obliterans, Buerger disease, Critical limb ischemia); Pulmonary hypertension; Sleep apnea syndrome; Valvular disease; Venous thromboembolism (Pulmonary embolism, deep venous thrombosis)

Specialized treatments,
　Balloon pulmonary angioplasty; Cardiac ablation for arrythmia; Cardiac rehabilitation; Cardiac resynchronization therapy; Endovascular treatment; Impella - Heart pump; Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator); Medical therapy for heart failure; MitraClip - Mitral regurgitation treatment; Pacemaker insertion; Percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation); Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale; Percutaneous coronary intervention; Transcatheter aortic valve implantation; Treatment of sleep apnea syndrome; Waon therapy


 2. Research Activities

Peripheral artery disease
  • Therapeutic angiogenesis by cell transplantation using adipose-derived regenerative cells in patients with critical limb ischemia
  • Waon therapy for critical limb ischemia
Ischemic heart disease (coronary artery disease)
  • Mobilization of multilineage differentiating stress-enduring (Muse) cells after acute myocardial infarction
  • Reendothelialization after coronary stent implantation
  • Evaluation of the effects of diabetic medicine for coronary plaques in patients with acute coronary syndrome
Cardiomyopathy/Heart failure
  • Pathophysiological assessment of cancer therapeutics-related cardiac dysfunction
  • Evaluation of a management of heart pumps in patients with severe heart failure
  • Effects of Waon therapy on cognitive function in patients with heart failure


3. Education
School of Medicine:

1st year Early experience of clinical practice
2nd year Cardiology (basic and science)
4th yearCardiovascular Medicine
5th year Clinical Clerkship
6th year Advanced clinical clerkship
Concentrated review

Research Field

Vascular failure
Heart failure
Arrythmia
Reendothelialization
Circulation mechanism

Academic Society Activities

Japanese Circulation Society
American Heart Association
American College of Cardiology
European Society of Cardiology
Japanese College of Cardiology
Japanese Society of Echocardiography
Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics
Japanese Heart Rhythm Society
Japanese Heart Failure Society
Japanese Society for Vascular Failure
Japanese Society of Clinical Physiology

Faculty

Professor Shigeru Toyoda, MD, PhD
Professor Shichiro Abe, MD, PhD
Professor Migaku Kikuchi, MD, PhD
Associate Professor Hiroshi Yagi, MD, PhD
Associate Professor Takuo Arikawa, MD, PhD
Associate Professor Tomoaki Kanaya, MD, PhD
Associate Professor Masashi Sakuma, MD, PhD
Associate Professor Shotaro Obi, MD, PhD
Senior Assistant Professor Shu Inami, MD, PhD
Senior Assistant Professor Setsu Nishino, MD, PhD
Senior Assistant Professor Michiya Kageyama, MD, PhD
Senior Assistant Professor Michiaki Tokura, MD, PhD
Senior Assistant Professor Kentaro Minami, MD
Assistant Professor Shuichi Yoneda, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Nobuo Koshiji, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Yoshiyuki Kitagawa, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Taito Masawa, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Fumitake Yamauchi, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Yota Koyabu, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Fumiya Saito, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Ryo Watanabe, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Yutaka Yonezawa, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Suguru Hirose, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Taiki Masuyama, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Ryutarou Waku, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Keijiro Kitahara, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Hiroko Yazawa, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Ryota Hashimoto, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Manami Watahiki, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor Riichi Nishikawa, MD, PhD

Characteristics of the section

     Department of Cardiovascular Medicine is dedicated to providing the highest quality and most advanced medical care for all patients. Our team is uniquely skilled in advanced minimally invasive techniques with remarkable patient outcomes. With advanced practice providers and emergency department, the heart center team provides patients with high quality medical care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.