Montreal, November 4, 2004 – The Université de Montréal (UdeM) and the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) today unveiled the Michal and Renata Hornstein Heart Surgery Chair, the first chair of its type in Quebec. The Chair has received a total of $1.5 million in funding from Montreal philanthropist Michal Hornstein ($1 million), the ICM Research Centre ($250,000), the UDM ($200,000) and the dean of the UDM’s Faculty of medicine, cardiologist Dr. Jean Rouleau ($50,000).

The clinical research chair, presented to Dr. Michel Pellerin, chief of surgery at the Montreal Heart Institute and associate professor of surgery at the Université de Montréal, will allow the MHI to establish a program for minimally invasive valvular surgery unique in Quebec. In addition, the Heart Surgery Chair will pursue the development of techniques and equipment needed for this innovative type of surgery. In the longer term, it will also develop a robotic heart surgery program.

“For more than 30 years, Michal Hornstein has been contributing to Quebec by supporting many different causes,” explained Robert Lacroix, rector of the Université de Montréal. “Already recognized for his commitment to fine arts and health, Mr. Hornstein is continuing his philanthropic work, and we feel very privileged to have received the support that he is providing today to leading-edge clinical and scientific heart surgery research.”

“This project is very exciting on many levels,” said Hélène David, member of the board of directors at the Montreal Heart Institute. “It demonstrates the solid partnership between the Heart Institute and the Université de Montréal. It will allow Quebec to develop and maintain a high level of expertise in heart surgery, and above all, it will give hope to patients who have to actually undergo valvular surgery.”

Minimally invasive heart surgery
One of the MHI’s surgeons is presently studying at Aalst in Belgium, one of the few centers in the world where this type of surgery is now performed. When the surgeon returns to Montreal, he will train his colleagues and together they will develop an innovative program for treating the hundreds of patients requiring reconstructive heart valve surgery every year.

There is no typical profile for patients with mitral valve pathology. It attacks men and women of every age, regardless of their lifestyle. This acquired disease is characterized by an anomaly of the support tissue, making the valve increasingly “insufficient.” At the Montreal Heart Institute alone, approximately 600 patients undergo valvular heart surgery every year, representing 35% to 40% of all elective surgery performed at the MHI. The new technique, which uses endoscopic cameras and miniature instruments, provides a remarkable improvement in patient quality of life, easier convalescence and a much shorter hospital stay.  

“Thanks to this clinical research chair, we will soon be able to offer the best possible cardiac surgery anywhere in the world right here,” said Dr. Michel Pellerin, chief of surgery at the MHI and holder of the Chair.

About Université de Montréal
Founded in 1878, the Université de Montréal counts 13 faculties and, along with its two affiliated Schools, HEC Montréal and l'École Polytechnique, is Quebec's largest institution of higher learning, second in Canada, and among the most active in North America. With a faculty of 2,300 professors and researchers, the university has a student population of close to 55,000, offers more than 550 undergraduate and graduate programs and awards some 3,000 Master's and PhD degrees each year.

About the Montreal Heart Institute
The Montreal Heart Institute, which this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding, is an ultra-specialized hospital centre dedicated to care, research, teaching, prevention, and the assessment of new technologies in cardiology; it is affiliated with the Université de Montréal.

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Information:

Sophie Langlois
Press Officer
Université de Montréal
(514) 343-7704
sophie.langlois@umontreal.ca

Doris Prince
Manager, of Communications and Public Relations
Montreal Heart Institute
(514) 376-3330, extension 3074
doris.prince@icm-mhi.org