First closed heart surgery in Singapore

1960

First open heart surgery in Singapore

First percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography (PTCA) procedure done at SGH

First transoesophageal echocardiography service set up

First Live Demonstration in Basic and Advanced Techniques on Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (known as Singapore LIVE) organised

First cardiac arrhythmia surgery in Singapore

First heart transplant in Singapore

First non-invasive vascular laboratory established

Four state-of-the-art angiographic machines acquired for the Cardiovascular Laboratory

First radiofrequency catheter ablation procedure in Singapore and ASEAN

First implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation in Singapore

Singapore Heart Centre (SHC) established

Cardiac services at Singapore General Hospital were transferred to Singapore Heart Centre

First cardiac-dedicated nuclear imaging laboratory established

First lung transplant programme set up

Singapore Heart Centre redesignated to National Heart Centre Singapore

National Heart Centre Singapore became autonomous

First biventricular pacing (for symptomatic relief in patients with moderate to severe heart failure on maximum medical therapy) procedure in Singapore

First lung transplant in Singapore with joint efforts by National Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore General Hospital and National Cancer Centre Singapore

National Heart Centre Singapore became a member of Singapore Health Services, one of two public healthcare clusters

First coronary artery brachytherapy in Singapore and Southeast Asia

First Diploma in Biomedical Sciences (Cardiac Technology) offered in Singapore and Asia, jointly with Singapore Polytechnic

First mechanical heart device programme established

First left ventricular assist device implantation in Singapore and Southeast Asia

First drug eluting stent implantation in Singapore and Asia during the 11th Singapore LIVE Course

A cumulative total of 15,000 cardiac surgeries performed since 1981

First biventricular assist device implantation in Singapore and Southeast Asia

First left ventricular assist device explantation in Singapore and Southeast Asia

First percutaneous lead extraction in Singapore using the electrosurgical dissection shealth system

First heart failure programme established in Singapore

First left ventricular reconstructive surgery performed

Heart care programme set up with SingHealth Polyclinics

First tourist-in-transit to be implemented with a life-saving left and right heart assist device in Singapore. Also the first patient supported by such a device to be transported over 6,000 miles at a significantly high altitude back to his country

First elephant trunk aortic surgery in Singapore

First bipolar radiofrequency ablation in Asia

Adult Congenital Heart Disease Programme (ACHD) established

First Specialist Diploma in Cardiac Technology with Singapore Polytechnic in Singapore and Asia

First percutaneous left atrial appendage transcatheter occlusion procedure in Singapore and Asia-Pacific during the 13th Singapore LIVE Course

First Singapore-based company's drug eluting stent 'Biolimus' implantation during the 13th Singapore LIVE Course

Participated in worldwide heart trial, known as the Surgical Treatments for IsChaemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial

First local inter-hospital transfer of patient on Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenator (ECMO)

First MicroMed deBakey Left Ventricular Assist Device implantation

Setup of SCAN CVI@NHC (SingHealth Centre for Advanced Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging @ National Heart Centre Singapore)

First aorto-apical conduit done in Singapore

Cardiac Image and Information Management System (CIIMS) established

Reduced radiation dose for patients undergoing Multi-Slice Computed Tomography (MSCT)