Interventional cardiology training

Summary

Interventional cardiology training programs are conducted within or after the general cardiology training in most European countries but, unlike in the United States, they do not attract a legal recognition approved in the EU. To stimulate the development of official homogeneous subspecialty training programs across Europe, in 2007 the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) developed a Curriculum and Syllabus, updated in 2020, and launched a web based educational platform. The two year program recommended level IV competency for most coronary interventions with the exception of rotational atherectomy and CTO recanalization, but accepts a level II for structural interventions.  The absence of binding specifications for interventional training is mirrored by the absence of a revalidation program with no specific indications for continuous medical education in interventional cardiology. In practice, however, subspecialty training in interventional cardiology is provided at high level in most European countries, adopting or modifying the EAPCI Curriculum and running the training during and around the last years of official Fellowship. EAPCI is a large provider of interventional cardiology training, offering specific fellows’ courses, and education platforms. Its annual congress EuroPCR is the largest interventional course in the world.

History and current status of interventional training