Dear colleagues and members of the Argentine College of Interventional Cardioangiologists (CACI),

I wish to take this opportunity, say “hi” to all of you, and brief you on everything that has been going on in our college during this very special year we’ve had.

Despite the pandemic, we were able to hold our Congress remotely. After asking for different budgets we chose the company LANZILOTA to launch our Congress, which was very successful thanks to all your efforts.

Regarding fees, CACI Fees Commission periodically updated the costs of our medical practice and the new Professional Commission was created.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the work and income decrease sustained by our members we decided not to make inflation-based adjustments in the fees and quotas of the college.

In 2020 we held the V CACI Meeting for Medical Auditors and Sponsors that was coordinated by Dr. Jorge Leguizamón with the collaboration of medical auditors from different provinces of our country and discussed topics on myocardial infarction, calcified coronary artery disease, aortic and mitral valvular heart disease, and intracardiac imaging.

We held the first CACI workshop with industry specialists on the reality of valvular implants in Argentina. The response from the audience was just great.

We also held the first CACI imaging workshop with Philips, Siemens, and General Electric. The response from the audience was also great.

The Multisocietal Consensus of the Pelvic Congestion Syndrome was finally achieved.

CACI Consensus document and recommendations were achieved for the management of COVID-19.

The SAC, FAC, CONAREC, the Argentine Health Ministry, and other medical societies published the National Guidelines on the Management of Acute Myocardial Infarction.

CACI has kept its presence and agreements signed with different societies (SOLACI, SAC, FAC, TCT, PCR, India Live, C3, CIT) and added a new Latin American society, HENDOLAT. We have shared live case webinars and participated in their annual virtual congress with all of them.

The SOLACI-CACI Congress that should have been held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in August 2020, was postponed until August 2021 in full compliance with SOLACI and SOCIME.

Regarding our scientific journal, RACI, we have supported it and kept its regular publication both digital (through our website) and in print.

The translation of the annual issues of the journal is conducted by Prof. Jorge C. Berriatúa from Spain. There is no doubt that this will improve the possibilities of indexation and increase the visualization of RACI and CACI thanks to the great work of RACI Director, Dr. Alfredo Rodríguez.

Despite the limitations and restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the Education Department kept offering classes to become a qualified specialist (period 2017-2020).

The specialist degree 2020-2023 was started. The Professional Update Course was started and remotely welcomed by our audience. The I Course of CACI Technicians and Nurses was held. I wish to thank all the efforts made by the Education Department to achieve these goals.

The fourth volume of the Libro de Hemodinamia y Cardioangiología Intervencionista was completed. It represents the huge effort made by all the authors and editors led by Dr. Marcelo Ruda Vega who perfects it on an ongoing basis.

We have worked side by side with the recently created Professional Commission.

Back in December 2019 shortly after taking over the CACI Board of Directors, we had a serious problem with the PAMI regarding the mandatory referral of patients from the interventional cardiology unit to César Milstein Hospital. Eventually, the problem was solved in a short span of time and the PAMI regulation that caused the problem was revoked.

Due to the pandemic, several members who work for the CABA network of public hospitals and for some inland cities had to remain on call and assist COVID-19 patients in closed hospital areas. Their work at the cath lab was, therefore, seriously jeopardized. However, a letter sent from the CACI Board of Directors to the Argentine Ministry of Health reversed this situation and our members were able to go back to their jobs at the cath labs without having to assist these COVID areas anymore.

Other labor issues sustained by our members and different health entities were also worked out by our association.

The CACI Board of Directors ratified the Agreement of collaboration and inter-consultation signed by both entities. The II CACI-ANMAT Conference coordinated by Dr. Marcelo Halac was held remotely with the participation of ANMAT executive directors and the presence of Dr. Pablo Yedlin, national congressman and president of the Nation Congressional Health Commission, members of the CACI-ANMAT commission, CACI members, and industry participants.

During 2019 the R+D Area directed by Dr. David Vetcher came up with an initiative that several members had suggested—the project of creating CACI R+D Area—that opened up the possibility of keeping relations with the ICI. Following in the early footsteps of this initiative I hereby proudly announce the first edition of Innovation in Cardiovascular Interventions in our country organized by ICI and CACI (2020). It will eventually take place one day in advance prior to the SOLACI CACI Congress of 2021. Through ICI and CACI R+D Area the very first course on innovation will be held in 2021 with support from ICI and in close collaboration with CACI Education Department.

In 2020 we also created new commissions: The Professional Commission was created after hearing the voices of many members who wished to reinforce the professional side of CACI. This Professional Commission includes CACI Professional Secretary and CACI Fees and Social Works Commissions in a combined effort to improve quality and compensation in our clinical practice. This new commission is quarterbacked by its coordinator, Dr. Javier Woscoboinik.

This Professional Commission signed a reciprocal agreement with the Argentine Association of Anesthesiology (also to be signed by other societies) to increase the professional competence of the commission and have more negotiation power with the insurance companies.

An agreement with CADIME was also signed to join this organization and improve our members’ union rights and working schedules. Also, to be able to bill the contrast agents used separate from the imaging modalities per se.

The Women Interventional Cardiologists Commission was created as well. It will be working together with LATAM Women Interventional Cardiologists and Women as One with Dr. Carla Agatiello as coordinator.

Together with SOLACI we held the first Argentine women interventional cardiologist workshop, supported by Women as One and LATAM Women Interventional Cardiologists, including a webinar where top international female interventional cardiologists participated.

I wish to thank Dr. Carla Agatiello for her hard work on this regard.

Although our college offices were closed since March 2020 following the social, preventive and mandatory isolation decree issued by the nation’s government, we never stopped working remotely. Also, we bought notebooks for all of our employees so they could work from the safety of their homes.

Despite all the limitations and restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to conduct all activities and fulfill all the promises made when this Commission started working back in the month of December. Also, we have been able to keep our funding as it was. Although we had to let some sponsors go, we welcomed new companies under a new and special COVID-19 category. Also, CACI paid all paychecks, invoices, and debts in timely manner.

We also conducted webinars with partner companies that, unexpectedly, ended up funding our activities right from the start.

Our college is now more visible than ever through mass and social media and we managed to sign several agreements with different international scientific societies.

COVID-19 took the lives of two of our colleagues, Dr. Vicente Vargas and Dr. Eduardo Chort, and several members contracted this disease.

I wish to thank each and every one of you and wish that 2021 will find us stronger and give us the opportunity to meet again, in person this time.

Diego Grinfeld
President of CACI 2020 – 2021

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