Tokyo Women's Medical University

School of Medicine

Cardiology

Overview

The Department of Cardiology was established in 1955 as the internal medicine division of the “Heart Institute Japan affiliated with Tokyo Women's Medical University”, and has been playing a leading role as a pioneer of cardiovascular clinical care in Japan. We have about 76,000 patients in outpatients division and 29,000 hospitalized patients per year, including 2,000 cardiac catheterizations, 13,000 echocardiograms, and 10,000 Holter EKGs, 3000 cardiac SPECT, and about 600 cardiac CT and cardiac MRI scans. We are actively providing latest optimal-medical therapy and low-invasive cardiovascular therapies. We are committed to patient-first treatment, taking on evidenced-based medicine and shared decision making. We have 600 coronary interventions, 300 lower extremity artery interventions, 300 catheter ablation, 150 pacemaker implantations, 100 implantable cardioverter defibrillators, 50 cardiac resynchronization therapies for severe heart failure. Under the motto of "Cardiology for Patients," we have trained many cardiologists who can provide not only advanced medical care but also well-balanced humanistic care.
In addition to clinical cardiovascular research, we are also actively engaged in clinically oriented basic research such as myocardial regeneration, cellular immunology related to atherosclerosis, thrombo-coagulation, and myocardial cellular electrophysiology. Furthermore, our department and its affiliated facilities are also engaged in large-scale clinical research on ischemic heart disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, hypertension, and diagnostic imaging. We are doing our best effort to establish guidelines for cardiovascular diseases in Japan by conducting prospective cohort studies and randomized assignment studies of coronary artery disease and heart failure cases.

Education Details

【Student Education】
In addition to on-campus lectures, tutorials, and practical training, students participate in clinical practice by their own participation, where they learn knowledge, skills, and attitudes as members of a medical team under the supervision and guidance of supervising physicians. We also accept clerkships from overseas as well as students from other universities.
【Resident Curriculum】
Initial Training Curriculum (On-campus Initial Clinical Training Program)
In the first and second years, trainees rotate between hospital wards and laboratories at the university hospital.
In the third to fifth years, trainees will be treated a large number of cases at affiliated training facilities, aiming to improve the medical skills they have acquired.
In the fifth and sixth years, trainees will further acquire specialized knowledge and treatment skills as supervising physicians at a university hospital.
During this period of training, students are encouraged to consider their own areas of specialization and to conduct clinical and basic research.

Research Details

- Research on low invasive cardiovascular treatment including Mitraclip or TAVR for structural heart disease patients
- Research on pharmacological treatment of acute heart failure and mechanical assistance for acute circulatory failure
- Epidemiological research on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Basic and clinical research on blood coagulation and platelet function in the cardiovascular field
- Clinical efficacy and prognosis of drug-eluting stents in hemodialysis patients
- Clinical outcomes and risk factors after catheterization in patients with lower extremity ischemia
- Clinical research on INOCA (ischemia of non-obstructive coronary artery disease)
- Clinical research on atrial fibrillation ablation
- Research on the usefulness of remote monitoring of pacing devices
- Research on the usefulness of right atrial function assessment by echocardiography
- Basic and clinical research on immunological mechanisms of atherosclerosis

Faculty

Junichi Yamaguchi
Kagari Murasaki
Morio Shoda
Kayoko Sato
Koichiro Ejima
Hiroyuki Arashi
Akiko Nishii
Yuichiro Minami
Atsushi Suzuki
Fumiaki Mori
Atsushi Takagi
Kentaro Jujo
Daigo Yagishita

Graduate School

The main research themes of our department are myocardial regeneration, cellular immunology related to atherosclerosis, thrombocoagulation, and myocardial cell electrophysiology as basic research. All of these research themes are clinically based and aimed to be used as clinical application. Myocardial regeneration is aimed at clinical application of cell sheets using progenitor cells derived from cardiomyocytes to patients with severe heart failure.
As for clinical research, we are conducting not only research on ischemic heart disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, hypertension, and diagnostic imaging, but also large-scale clinical research by the Department of Cardiology and related facilities. Our goal is to develop evidence-based guidelines unique to Japan through clinical research in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine.

Related links

Research Achievements Database

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